Revolution
by holymfwickee
Summary: Book II of the Damn Imprinting Series. After losing more than most do in a lifetime, Nessie must take her place in the vampire world. New characters.
1. You Say you want a Revolution

This is the sequel to _Sasha_ and second story of the five part series entitled, _Damn Imprinting_. I highly recommend reading _Sasha_ beforehand; otherwise, this story won't make any sense.

It picks up directly where the Epilogue of _Sasha_ ends. Once again the narration does change from time to time and I will mention at the beginning of the chapter if the narration is anyone other than Nessie. Please feel free to leave comments. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own _Twilight_

Disclaimer: I do not own _Revolution_ or _Imagine_ by The Beatles

**Revolution**

**Part I—Chapter I: You Say you want a Revolution **

"Dear Miss Nessie, I am sending this with a colleague of mine in hopes of giving you a warning. The world has changed here. It is not the gentle landscape you experienced almost a year ago. Creatures I was even unaware of have crawled out from the darkness. I am not certain how much longer I will be alive. I beseech you to reconsider your place in our world and in this battle. Whatever you choose, decide quickly. There is not much time left. Sincerely, Ántonia Stoichita."

"When was this sent?"

"I'm not sure. Anytime between when I got up and when Jacob got done with school." My entire family was crowded into the living room of the main house. We were dissecting the contents of a mysterious note which was left on my bed by care of the ever-so-enigmatic Ántonia Stoichita of Romania. Just like Ántonia, the note created more questions than it did answers. My father was leading most of the discussion while I was trying to give answers; quite unsuccessfully I might add.

"What colleague is she talking about?"

"I don't know. I didn't meet anyone else in Romania apart from…" I cleared my throat, not wanting to finish my sentence. Noticing my hesitation my mother quickly continued the conversation.

"Maybe Vlad and Stephen?"

"We didn't smell or hear anyone. Ántonia was the only person who ever had the ability to sneak up on us." Jacob deflated my mother's theory yet what he said wasn't entirely true. However, I wasn't about to bring up who had recently had the ability to sneak up on us.

"It sounds like she's in trouble. Ántonia is strange yes, but she doesn't lie. And she would have a hard time admitting she was in danger," I pointed out. Ántonia's safety was my biggest concern, although it shouldn't have been. She was very secretive and unknown to the Volturi and she was also extremely powerful. Therefore, if she was admitting to her life being in danger it was serious business. However, her note left too many unanswered questions for my family's comfort.

"And what danger could she ever really be in? She's the most powerful being on the planet isn't she?" Rosalie commented. She must have been thinking the exact same thing I had.

"Yes, but she fears gaining too much power. She's afraid of losing control and she abhors violence. I'm not sure she's ever actually been in a fight." Even if it was true I wouldn't want to be the one to face her.

"Could the hunters have found her?" Jasper asked.

I cringed involuntarily; the same way I did whenever someone brought up the Gypsy hunters. I tried my best to hide how uncomfortable the conversation was making me. Despite this, my voice may have cracked slightly anyway.

"I doubt it. They didn't find her for 1500 years and she's been under their noses the whole time. Her stealth will protect her." I said confidently. Jasper and Emmett found the Romanian Gypsy hunters incredibly interesting. Something about how they were the ultimate in bravery and stupidity.

"Why are the hunters popping up now? There have always been vampires even if there's been less in Romania," Emmett inquired.

"The vampire world is unstable. Perhaps they can sense that. Maybe they want to gain control."

"Yeah, they've got a good chance of that," Emmett said sarcastically as he leaned back in his chair and threw his hands behind his head. Uncle Emmett never took fights too seriously and I understood why he wouldn't see much of a threat in a bunch of humans. I felt very differently about the matter and I could feel the warmth in my face as I was brought just to the edge of tears. It had become a familiar sensation to me. Within the next second I felt of rush of spontaneous relief through my chest and the tears magically receded. I immediately looked over at Uncle Jasper. He gave me an apologetic smile and I nodded to him.

"Let us not forget they are basically designed to fight vampires. They have abilities just as strong as our own. If they are able to organize properly they could pose quite a threat." Carlisle explained. It was important to remember these weren't just humans. They were _Gypsies_. This may have meant little to us because we'd never known they existed, yet they were just has strong as werewolves or any other kind of supernatural creature.

"They should wait for everyone else to just destroy each other. Then claim victory."

I shuddered at Emmett's comment and my mother and Esme threw him a look I would never want to be on the other end of. I think they were doing it for my sake. Emmett pulled his hands away from behind his head and placed them on his lap. I knew both my uncles took the Gypsies lightly at times and even joked about them. However, I had personally experienced how lethal these hunters could be.

"What I want to know is what 'creatures' is she talking about? Is there anything other than werewolves, vampires, and mermaids?" my mother added her question.

"Shape-shifters," Jacob quipped.

"Maybe some leprechauns or an army of fairies," Emmett joked back to him. Even after being non-verbally scolded you couldn't dampen his spirit.

"I think she means vampires; what else would come out of darkness? Perhaps ones who are looking to overthrow the Volturi," Carlisle said calmly. His theory made sense. There was one clue down.

"Maybe the whole thing is a trap. You know, a set-up to get us all to come to Romania and then take us all out at once," Jasper said.

"But no one in Romania knows Ántonia even exists. How would they know to fake a note from her?"

"Plus we didn't sense anyone today," Jacob repeated. The conversation came to a standstill. Each question was getting us nowhere. Alice, who hadn't informed us of any of her particular brand of knowledge, wrinkled her forehead, pursed her lips, and asked me a question.

"Nessie, why did she send _you _this note? What are you supposed to reconsider?"

I had hoped everyone would be too preoccupied with the impending danger they wouldn't notice that particular detail. It would have been grossly underestimating my family of scholars to think that. I bit my lip trying to think of an excuse while simultaneously trying to not think of the real reason; mental eavesdroppers and all. I hadn't told anyone about Ántonia's vision of me as the leader of a revolution against the Volturi. I thought it was too overwhelming to think about it myself. I couldn't imagine how my family would react.

"Well, I'm the only person she really knows. I think she just wants my help."

"She couldn't have possibly been anymore cryptic about it." Esme said with some irritation in her voice; not a common trait for her.

"I don't know what it is with those Europeans; they always have to be so damn mysterious all the time," Jasper echoed Esme's frustration.

"Ántonia is cryptic and mysterious, but the entire time I was with her she was never afraid. She was never vulnerable." I shot a look to my father hoping he would understand the depth of my concern. He finished his pacing and sat down next to me on the sofa.

"No one do anything rash," he said slowly while eyeing me. "Is that alright?" he asked in my direction. I nodded silently.

Everyone appeared to want to take a break from solving the mystery. I took this opportunity to walk towards the exit, grabbing Jacob's hand as I passed him, and pulled him out the door with me. I walked at a human pace which always made Jacob a little uncomfortable, but I was trying to concentrate. Jacob noticed my distraction and asked,

"What are you thinking about?"

I could have just given him my hand and it would have easily explained everything. Now that I was older, I used my ability less and less in conversation. Having someone else see my thoughts made me feel too exposed at times. Speaking for myself allowed me the chance to edit and of course, since I was older, there was a great deal more to edit. I stalled and bit my lip again. I strained my neck to look up into his eyes and said bluntly,

"Jacob, I have to tell you something."

"What?" he asked curiously.

"Its kind-of…unsettling. It's about something Ántonia told me the last time I saw her. She told me I was…well, that is she planned I would be…I mean she thought I might…" I stuttered.

"Ness…? What is it?"

I sighed loudly before I continued. "She said it was my destiny…to lead the revolution against the Volturi." The words sounded stupid when I said them out loud. It was like my life had become a bad fantasy novel. Maybe I should have just let him see my memories; Ántonia had a good flair for the dramatic.

"Oh…" Jacob countered.

I tried to gauge his reaction and guessed whether or not he would laugh. He didn't look shocked, more like he had just received some unexpected news. He thought it over for a moment. "Did she mention anything specific about how to go about doing that?"

"It's not a joke Jacob." I lightly punched him in the arm. How had he kept from laughing? The idea was rather ludicrous.

"I know, I know," he said as he rubbed his arm. There was no way he was actually hurt. "It's just, can she see the future?"

"Not really...sometimes." I never knew for sure. She never told me anything straight out.

"So why pick you?"

"I don't know. Honestly, I had forgotten about it until now."

"Forgotten?"

"Well, chose not to think about."

"Is this something you want to do?"

"I don't know, I mean, it doesn't even seem fathomable. It's not like one day I woke up and decided, oh, I think I'll become a vampire revolutionary. I wish I could talk to her about it more." I kicked a stone towards the river; it managed to skip once before it hit the water.

"You know I wouldn't be surprised if it was true, if it was your destiny."

"Why?"

"Your very existence is a miracle Ness. You ought to be spreading that miracle around a little bit more."

"Yeah, well…maybe." I shrugged. I didn't put much faith in Ántonia's plan. My strength and power was so limited I could never fight something as all-powerful as the Volturi. I doubted if anyone could without sacrificing themselves. Jacob picked up a stone and threw it towards the river as well; it skipped several times and managed to reach the shore on the other side of the water.

"Are you going to tell your parents about this?" Jacob asked casually.

"Why don't we wait till after I've overthrown the Volturi and have been named Queen of all vampires to tell them? I think they'll freak out a little less." We both laughed as we followed the edge of the smooth and tumbling river.

The last six months had been the easiest and hardest of my life. I was contented to nothing but read, write, paint, play the piano, and help Jacob with his homework. At the same time, I had been struggling over losing my first boyfriend and perhaps love of my life, Sasha. Six months ago he had been murdered by Gypsies who had followed us to Forks from Romania in an attempt to protect me. Sasha had been doing the same when he died. It was difficult to truly enjoy any of the things I did lately because essentially all they were was distractions. The moments when I remembered what it was I was trying to distract myself from went from overwhelming to devastating to upsetting to confusing. Basically, it made me feel like a mess most of the time and there was no way I could express how badly I wanted clarity in my mind again without forgetting him. I didn't really know how I would do that. Incidentally, Ántonia had been the one who brought Sasha and me together.

"I'm worried about her, Jacob. She always talked about overthrowing the Volturi like a spectator. She can't participate because she might lose control. Right now, it sounds like she's deeply entrenched." If Ántonia, the strongest person I knew, was afraid, we should all be afraid.

"Good thing my passport is up to date," Jacob said with a smile. His smile had been one of the distractions. The warmth of it comforted and relaxed me down to my bones. Maybe it was all magical, but I couldn't have gotten through the past six months without it. He could make even the direst of situations bearable.


	2. Brother You Have to Wait

**Chapter II: Brother You Have to Wait  
**

_Trees were rushing past me at an incredible rate. I wasn't running as fast as I could have run, but he never could keep up with me. _

"_Hey! Monster-girl! How many times are you going to beat me at running until you get tired of it?" he yelled up at me from about a hundred feet back. _

_I stopped and let him catch up. He was panting. What a fraud, he wasn't out of breath. He just hated losing as much as I did. _

"_I don't know. How many times are you going to beat me at chess until you get tired of it?"_

"_At least we are similarly matched in skill at chess. You know I cannot and will not ever be able to run as fast as you can. You are going to have to learn some patience one of these days."_

"_You've had 1350 years to learn patience. I haven't even been around a decade yet."_

"_You cannot have it both ways. You are either twenty-one or you are seven, and if you are seven, then this would be a strange relationship." One of his eyebrows lifted up at me and it made me smile. _

"_I don't think it could get much stranger."While he was still out of breath I walked up to him and interlaced his hands in mine. I looked up to his face to get a peek at his sparkling eyes which always made my heart flutter. However, his face was tense and the tone of his voice suddenly changed. It was less clear. _

"_Nessie…remember to keep running…"_

"_What?"_

"_Keep running. I cannot catch up to you, but you have to keep running…"_

"_Sasha, stop…"_

I gasped. My breath was stuck in my throat and my heart was pounding wildly as if I had been running through the woods. This is what had made the last six months difficult. I dreamt about him. _Constantly_. The dreams were never the same either. They always ended the same, I would wake up hyperventilating, but we were always doing something different. Tonight we had been running through the woods of my backyard. He never could beat me in a race; then again, I had an unfair advantage over him. The part I disliked most about my dreams, even more than the insomnia, even more than the pain I experienced from missing him so much, the part which was the worst was how my memory never got his eyes right. They never sparkled quite perfectly, like a chunk of glass compared to a diamond. It meant my memory of him must have been fading – that thought hurt the most.

It was difficult if not impossible to fall back asleep after these dreams. I walked over to my windowsill where I used to find Jacob sleeping soundly outside of it. We had instigated some new rules since he started going to school again. He wasn't allowed to sleep outside my window anymore. He had to stay in his own bed at his own house and get a proper night's sleep so he could actually pay attention in class. I had to admit, I missed him a little, but we had developed a more normal kind of relationship which I believed would be healthier for us in the long run. Being away from me wasn't as painful as it used to be for him. His imprint on me was just as strong; however, six months ago when he witnessed my experience of actually losing someone I loved he realized being apart for twelve hours wasn't nearly comparable.

I jumped from the sill of my window and began wandering our vast backyard forest. I had developed a habit of these late night walks. I was unsure if my parents knew I had been taking them for the past few months. When it came to nighttime they were usually occupied with other…activities. They were two married perpetual teenagers for god's sake. The thought may have disturbed me but I wasn't oblivious to it. I just thanked the stars I had the ability to sleep most of the time.

The sky was clear and the air was not filled with its usual precipitation. I breathed in the deep and musky scent of the woods. I identified the leftover trails from my run with Jacob earlier in the day. I sensed where a raccoon family had scurried up a tree. I even identified the scent of where a squirrel had buried his acorns and probably forgotten them. Then I identified something….else. It was a trail for certain but it was very faint. The number of animals which scamper throughout the forest during the day must have masked it. Could this be the trail of the mysterious visitor who left the note in my bedroom? My parents and aunts and uncles had run around the estate looking for a trail or some evidence of a visitor, but they didn't find anything. The trail I identified just now smiled faded like it had been there a week and even a light breeze could blow it away. I knew for certain I had never sensed it before.

I turned back to look at our cottage. There were no lights on, just like I had left it, but I noticed some lights on in the main house. Carlisle was probably reading while Emmett and Jasper started an elaborate game of chess. Instinctively, I thought I should go tell them about what I just come across. Almost just as instinctively I worried about their reaction. They always overreacted. They wouldn't know anything I didn't already know; this afternoon's discussion had proven that. I weighed my options once more and then followed the vanishing clue.

It was quite difficult to keep my nose on it. Every second it seemed like it was evaporating away. It was a strangely appealing smell; moments when I got a stronger whiff of it made my mouth water. The smell kept begging me to keep on the trail even if I knew it was dangerous. The trail started crossing over itself. Did this creature double-back? It was hard to decide which to follow but I kept referring to my instincts.

Suddenly, my peripheral vision noticed something. I stopped instantly. It had only been a blur, but a large blur, so it couldn't have been an owl or a raccoon. I slowly lifted my head. My body was pulsating with each chirp from a cricket or breeze through the trees. I heard a snap of a twig and turned to face the source of the sound. Another blur flew by me before I could turn my head around. The scent was distinctively stronger. It was overwhelmingly appealing and made my stomach flutter momentarily. What a strange reaction? It was strong enough anyhow I knew it had to be one of us: a vampire.

I stood up straight and lessened my focus slightly. Time for a different approach. "Hello? Is anyone there?" I asked like a bimbo from a bad 1970's horror movie. "If you were at my house today, I would really appreciate it if you would show yourself. It's important. I need to know who brought the message. If it's meant to be a secret, then please leave. My family gets a little jumpy when it comes to trespassers."

I almost couldn't believe myself. I was either crazy and talking to nothing but the nocturnal animals of the forest, or I was crazy and talking to some strange vampire who may have just lured me out here to kill me. I imagined what Jacob would say, my parents, Sasha…

Moments where I remembered him were particularly bad. It meant I had lost focus completely. Suddenly aware of the danger I had put myself in I decided to make my exit. Before I began running I looked to the spot where I had seen the blur pass me by. There was definitely a twig snapped in half among the fallen foliage of the elm trees.

I remembered to run.


	3. But When You Talk About Destruction

Bella's POV

**Chapter III: But When You Talk About Destruction  
**

"Can't you see anything Alice? Even about us?"

Edward, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, and I were sitting in the living room of the main house staring at Alice quite intently – as if we were going to will her to see what we wanted to see. Alice's brow was furrowed in deep concentration. She had been trying for the last two days to latch onto some sort of concrete vision of the future. Her power was unfortunately running into its limitations.

"I'm sorry Bella. It's all just a haze."

"Because of Nessie?"

"It's possible, but you have to consider all the creatures that are involved. Nessie, Jacob, his pack, and every other half-creature out there. It's just too broad."

"What about the rest of us?"

"Nothing…bad. I've only seen the immediate future for the most part and we're never in a panic or worried. That must be a good sign."

Edward lightly squeezed her shoulders from behind and thanked her. "Thanks Alice. I know this must be frustrating for you."

"You have no idea." Alice ran a hand through her hair and rubbed her eyes, not that she was really tired, just bothered. Edward took a seat next to me. He had been pacing behind Alice.

"I don't like all this impending doom," I continued.

"Don't be so dramatic, Bella," Alice snapped back at me.

"How would you describe it?" I asked of her. She rolled her eyes in response and rubbed her temple.

"Ántonia may be all for fighting the Volturi, but she's just about the only one." Rosalie argued as she now began pacing the same way Edward had. Of all my in-laws Rosalie truly did love Renesmee best. Ever since my little girl was born she became Rosalie's primary concern. I was certain she loved Nessie more than me or Edward or even Emmett once in a while. However, I couldn't find any fault in her love as Nessie had become the answer for many of Rosalie's prayers. No, Rosalie never would be a mother, but an aunt is a special position as well and Rosalie took it very seriously. I was certain at this moment her greatest concern was protecting Nessie. The problem was we didn't even know what we were fighting.

"That was before they exposed their vulnerabilities," Jasper corrected her. "Vampires are extremely frustrated with their tyrannical reign and they are beginning to believe they can do something to change it. Perhaps destroy it."

"I can tell you I don't like Nessie being at the forefront of all this. What does Ántonia think she's going to do, raise an army of the living dead and charge them on the Volturi?" I said, raising my voice slightly.

"I think the official term is 'undead.' Living dead sounds more like zombies," Emmett joked, pretending to be politically correct.

"Ántonia doesn't want to encourage violence, she wants to end it," Alice spoke up as the voice of reason. She may have also wanted us to stop bickering. She continued to massage her forehead. Jasper had scooted closer to her so he could offer his soothing touch by gently placing a hand on her knee and calming the emotional climate as best he could.

"I don't think that is a very hopeful goal, we are vampires after all," Emmett said as he shrugged his shoulders. His brothers silently agreed. It wasn't a very optimistic statement and I could help being bothered by it, especially since my daughter seemed to be involved in this somehow.

"There has to be a better option than what is going on now," I begged. No one offered anything. I noticed Rosalie pause in her uniform movement and grip the back of a Charles Rennie Mackintosh chair a little too forcefully making the wood creak under her fingertips. She was of course far more concerned about Nessie then anything Ántonia cared about.

"All that aside, has anyone decided if we're going to let Nessie go back to Romania?" she said as calmly as she was able.

"Wouldn't that be a bad idea? The note said it was supposed to be a warning," Emmett said. We were all thinking the same thing. I looked to Alice again.

"Alice?"

"No one has decided anything yet. I can't exactly make a prediction. And I never used my power on Ántonia so I can't exactly look to her either."

"What does Nessie want to do?" Rosalie asked.

Emmett gave her a knowing answer. "One guess." Emmett stood up and took Rosalie's hand. Touching seemed to be the best way to calm the anxieties of our loved ones. Despite this, Rosalie's body tensed and she moved her head slowly taking in the environment.

"Guys…where is Nessie now?"

I looked over to Edward. His eyes widened ever so slightly. He was looking for her mentally as I listened for her just as Rosalie had just been doing. I didn't hear her voice, or her breathing, or her heartbeat. Edward did not indicate anything either.

"I…don't know," I stammered. Some parenting.


	4. Above Us Only Sky

**Chapter IV: Above Us Only Sky  
**

The forest never seemed quite as menacing during the day even if there was an unknown creature wandering the forest. Any scent of a trail I had experienced the previous night was now gone. The creature might have covered it up when they realized I had caught it and even tracked it, even though it was only for a moment. I sprinted around from place to place, tree to tree, trying to catch a glimpse of the blur I had barely seen the other night. I had decided not to tell my parents about the potential vampire or whatever it was. This may have been a mistake, but if Ántonia had trusted someone enough to send them to my house and deliver a message from her, they could not possibly be dangerous. Sometimes my family would lose sight of that when they got into their overprotective mode.

I circled the forest several times and went much further from the house then I usually did. Actually, I went out further than I was allowed to unaccompanied, a mandate from both my father and Jacob. A mandate I adamantly thought should be retracted and disobeyed often. I was about ready to give up and thought perhaps the creature had taken my advice and left. Then, in a moment of serendipity and with a sudden gust of wind I caught the scent again. It was just as faint as the previous night, but just as enticing as well. I put my instincts on full alert and used all my senses to locate the being. It was similar to walking a maze. The trail zigzagged around trees and then doubled-backed on itself. There was no rhyme or reason to the course it traveled on.

Then my peripheral vision caught sight of it again. The stubborn thing was always in the corner of my eye. I couldn't catch any more details to describe it other than it was big and presumably fast. I looked over my surroundings once more and tried to visualize the path it was taking. There did not seem to be much logic to the pattern. I tried my best to envision it in my mind and slowly I began to realize the common denominator of the irrational pattern. The trail circled around _me_. The whole time I thought I had been tracking this thing it had actually been keeping tabs on me. I should have been frightened; however, whatever the thing was it hadn't attacked me yet and it had plenty of opportunities. As long as it was following me I thought I would at least make its chase a little more fun. I bolted through the woods – dodging trees and rock formations with incredible ease due to my familiarity with the terrain. I started copying its strange route. I doubled back on my path, I unnecessarily went in between trees like an obstacle course, and I saw the blur running along beside me now and then. It must have been following behind me, but just barely. I knew where to go next. I reduced my speed slightly and out of the corner of my eye I saw it pass me by. I increased my speed again and ducked in between a rock formation Jacob and I used as a fort when I was younger and we wanted to escape the mental eavesdropping by my father. I quickly came out from the opposite side of the formation and expected to see the creature taking the long way around where I had taken a short-cut. I did see it, but it did not see me.

"Ow!" I shouted. Not something I usually said. I don't think I've ever said it actually. I had been knocked to the ground quite forcibly. Something had come at me so fast I didn't have time to move out of the way.

"I'm sorry! I didn't do it on purpose, I swear! You just happened to catch me when I was looking the other direction."

I shook the leaves out from my hair and peered up at the stranger standing over me. The sunlight impeded my sight yet I could tell he had a look of noticeable concern he had hurt me. He was holding his hand out to help me up.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I muttered and got up by my own power. When I was standing fully I took the opportunity to get a good look at him. He was of average height and thin. His mousy dark blonde hair was a just a little too long which gave him a perpetual bed-head look. He was dressed in a fitted sweatshirt and jean shorts and a very fancy pair of European sneakers. To me, he looked like any average college freshman aside from his muted gold eyes. His scent still held its strange attraction, but I began to find it easier to ignore. My curiosity was now being blinded by confusion and irritation.

"_Who_ are you?"

"Oh, sorry for not introducing myself. I'm Rye."

"Rye? As is bread…?" I said with an obvious edge to my voice.

"Yeah, and you are?"

"Nessie."

"Huh, so you're the thing living in the loch…"

"Not funny," I barked at him. Yeah, like he's the first to make that joke.

"Sorry," he said, but as he grinned at his joke I knew he didn't mean it. I was still confused and a little perturbed he had managed to knock me over.

"What are you doing out here?"

"I…uh…I left a note."

"_You_ did?" He wasn't what I had imagined, not that Ántonia had given me much to go on. I had envisioned a burly Romanian vampire, not this skinny Heath Ledger wannabe.

"Yes."

"I'm sorry, who are you again?"

"I just told you. Are you sure you didn't hit your head?"

"I'm confused, _you_ left the note?" He must have thought I was slow for asking the same question several times now. I just found it very hard to believe. He wasn't something I would have remotely been afraid of.

"Uh, yeah. I did."

"How is it we didn't hear or see you?"

"If you haven't noticed, I'm pretty fast."

"All vampires are fast."

"Let's just say, in my former life I won all the track meets." The grin on his face made me want to roll my eyes yet somehow I found a way to refrain. He wasn't wrong though. He had been a blur to my eyesight, which may have been half-human but it was still supernatural. His speed must have been immeasurably fast. "You are one of the strangest things I've ever chased. It was a good move cutting me off and everything. Sorry I ran you over, but when my head is turned if you jump in front of me you don't have much of a chance."

"I see. So…have you seen Ántonia? How is she?" I asked with some urgency in my voice. It would have been the first thing I asked if he hadn't distracted me with his stupid humor.

"I don't really know. I've never actually met her."

"I don't understand."

"Its kind-of hard to explain…"

"Try," I demanded bluntly. He was incredibly irritating for just having met him. He was very much like the teenager he appeared to be.

"It was a couple weeks ago. It's the weirdest thing. I was walking; well, walking for me it would be sprinting for most—"

This time I couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes at his shameless bragging.

"And I was running through Romania on my way to China. I wanted to see the upcoming Olympics. And, all of a sudden I run into this weird castle like thing. It was unlike any ruin I'd ever seen. It looked like it hadn't been lived in for five-hundred years."

I rolled my eyes again. He must not have noticed because his enthusiasm didn't waver.

"So I walk into this place, and it's amazing. Books everywhere, tons of furniture, but there's no one living there. I got a little creeped out by the whole thing so I booked it out of there, no pun intended. Once I reached Beijing I noticed I had two pieces of paper in my pocket. One was for me. It said 'Please take this message to Forks, Washington. You will find safety there.' The other was for you. I still don't know where those pieces of paper came from."

"Oh, you met Ántonia all right."

"How? I didn't see anyone."

"She's got quite a few skills." I couldn't even tell you how many and I lived with the woman for a year.

"I see."

"Why did you deliver it anyway? You didn't even know her, or me."

"It seemed important. And it doesn't take me long to get anywhere. Sorry for reading your mail."

I chuckled at his apology, annoyed as I was by his bragging. Privacy was such a loose topic in my household I'd almost forgotten it would be considered rude to read someone else's mail.

"It's fine."

"So, what does it mean exactly? The note that is?"

"I can't really tell you. It's as much a mystery to me, as it is to you. But you've been to Romania lately, what's it like?"

"I've only flown through it a few times. I get bored pretty easy. I did notice however in some parts of the country the people seem different."

"How so?"

"You know how people are innately frightened of us? But they always kind-of shake it off or attribute it to something else."

"Yeah."

"Well, now the people still seem afraid, but they don't seem ignorant of what's going on – like they're all in on the secret. It's pretty unsettling."

I thought this over for a second. The Gypsies certainly would be spreading their anti-vampire rhetoric around. Perhaps they were becoming successful in recruiting more members. My mind instantly imagined Ántonia trapped in her fortress surrounded by men with red arrows. The note was from over a week ago and she didn't know how long she would be alive then. I shuddered and wished she had picked up telephone instead of sending a letter. I didn't want to distress Rye, a kid I just met, with this information so I decided to keep the conversation light.

"So, if you get bored so easy, why are you still here?"

"I got curious."

"About what?"

"Well, first the note in itself was bizarre, and secondly I couldn't believe your coven. You walk around here just mulling the time away. It all seems pretty dull to me."

"All the more reason to leave right?" Part of me wanted him to leave – the part which was repeatedly irritated by him.

"Yeah, but, I don't know. It was interesting enough to stick around. Especially when you were talking to me in the woods, but you didn't know if you were really talking to anything. It was pretty brave. I could have been a werewolf for all you knew."

"A werewolf, now that would be scary." I suppressed a laugh. "Why don't you come to the house? Meet my family."

"I don't know. Will they be mad I've been running around here?"

"Um…no…I don't think so. I'm not mad."

"Cool."

"I am mad however, that you knocked me down."

"I said I was sorry."


	5. No Need For Greed or Hunger

**Chapter V: No Need for Greed or Hunger  
**

"He is a charmer isn't he?" my mother asked me. She had separated herself from the ever-growing Rye fan club which had developed in my household. The second I introduced him to my family they were in love – Rye became a long lost Cullen. They didn't even question him when I told them it had been Rye who snuck into our house and left notes undetected. Something they normally would have been very upset about. Instead, they were all smitten with him, especially the female members of my family.

Rye charmed them with stories of his past. His full name was Henry Rye born in 1893. He grew up on the East Coast and lived for athletics. Apparently, he was an Olympic athlete who would have competed in the 1912 Stockholm games if not for being bitten during a late-night training session. He kept complaining how Jim Thorpe stole his thunder. As his eyes had indicated, he had taken on the vegetarian lifestyle for the past few decades though he admitted he slipped up from time to time.

As I sat with my mother in the kitchen I looked over at Rye again. He was being timed by Alice and Rosalie while they tried to clock his speed. The two of them fluttered around him like thirteen-year-olds while he confidently puffed out his chest and ran his fingers through his hair. I rolled my eyes in disgust – something which was becoming a habit when it came to Rye.

"Sure, if you ignore his personality and overall being," I responded to my mother's question.

"I don't understand this hostility, Renesmee. You're the one who found him."

"Correction, he ran me over. And since when do you, or Alice and Rosalie for that matter, notice other men?"

My mother's eyes narrowed as she took the question quite seriously. "It is strange isn't it? It's not as if I see him the same way I do your father, but there's something about him. He's just exciting to be near. He makes me feel like a teenager again."

I didn't even bother to respond to that comment.

"How can you _not_ find him good-looking? And his _scent_? It's…intoxicating."

I begrudgingly looked in the direction of the Olympic athlete and his fan club and tried to force myself to see what they saw. He was good-looking – that much was obvious. His muscles were long and lean and his hair was adorably out of place. He was boisterously confident which appealed to some women I guess. But nothing about him made my heart flutter or my stomach nervous, if anything he made me sick to my stomach whenever he opened his petulant little mouth. Whoa, I guess I did harbor animosity towards him. Which wasn't fair; he hadn't done anything to me. His scent didn't intrigue me as it had done before I met him. It was like having a great deal of anticipation for a gift and then feeling disappointed after opening it. My family did not experience this disappointment. However, he'd actually done a very brave thing coming from a dangerous place and entering another coven's territory with no direction other than a mysterious note. I realized I should give him more of a chance.

"He's alright," I said indifferently to my mother.

"Well, please don't tell your father or your uncles, it will just make them jealous. And if you do figure out what makes you immune to him, let me in on the secret."

I watched my mother float back to where Alice and Rosalie were giggling rapidly at one of Rye's endless endearing comments. Slightly sickened, I sighed loudly and walked outside. I had just sat down by the river and opened my copy of _Jane Eyre_ when Rye sat down next to me disturbing my quiet.

"Hey there, Nessie."

"Hi Rye," I said through clenched teeth. His enticing scent wafted though the air and instantly raised my stress level. I thought back to what he had risked in coming here and managed to calm myself down, if only slightly.

"How's it hanging?"

"Fine, I'm just reading."

"You do that a lot."

"And you quote sportscasters a lot."

Rye appeared completely relaxed as he looked over the landscape so must not have noticed the slight harshness in my voice. He continued to talk to me happily. "Your family has been really nice."

"I'm glad," I said semi-honestly.

"They keep asking me to stay longer. Is that alright?"

"It's their house," I said with little enthusiasm. Rye finally picked up on my negative vibe.

"What's the matter with you?"

"Nothing."

"Come on, just tell me." The pleading in his voice heightened my level of irritation. I sighed sharply and snapped my book shut.

"Rye, you're a balloon."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You're fun, and shiny, and good for an afternoon of enjoyment. However, it doesn't last. Whether you pop, deflate, or float away, you're never going to be able to offer much beyond a single afternoon."

"Wait, are you calling me shallow?"

"No, I'm calling you a balloon – an egotistical and superficial balloon," I said plainly as I thought of how my aunts giggled as he demonstrated his speedy abilities. After everything they'd seen in their extended lifetimes I never thought they could be so entertained by one teenager.

"Wait, time-out, flag on the field."

"And stop with the sports sayings! You ran track, there are no time-outs in track," I yelled as my hands shook in frustration.

"False start then."

This had to be the silliest conversation I'd ever had with another person. I was picking a completely nonsensical fight and I couldn't for the life of me explain where these feelings of annoyance were coming from. Yes, our personalities weren't exactly the same, but I've been able to get along with a great number of people with varying personalities. Why, when I was around this kid, I became a snarky and nine-year-old version of myself, I couldn't say.

"I don't know what I did, but it certainly wasn't anything to deserve this kind of treatment. You know, honestly, you are the only vampire who has ever acted _this_ way around me. Vampire women usually act like your aunts or even your mother." The moment these words slipped from his lips I couldn't help but notice Rye cringe slightly. Could he be regretting the words he just said? I managed to remain still beside him as I thought hard about what he had just said.

"Female vampires _always_ act that way around you?"

"Well…yeah, sort-of," he stammered. He was deliberately avoiding eye contact with me. I knew if he ran I wouldn't be able to catch him.

"Why is that?"

"I don't know…" he said softly and unconvincingly.

"Yes you do. Tell me now!" I responded loudly.

"Look, I'm not doing it on purpose. I've just always had that…ability."

"What ability? To make women make complete fools out of themselves?"

"No…to just…you know, act like that – like they're into me. I think it's my scent. It's like I'm a permanent heartthrob."

"Yeah, you're Johnny Depp all the way."

"Who?"

"Never mind. So what do you use this ability to do exactly? You don't…I mean, you don't…you're not an incubus are you?" I really hoped this wasn't the case. My aunts and mother…ugh. Besides the fact that it was a disturbing thought to me, I knew if this kid tried anything like that he wouldn't live to tell about it.

"NO! I don't use it like that! I'm not a sex maniac, Nessie."

I stifled a grin. Thank God for that.

"Besides, it doesn't work on human girls, not anymore than any vampire attracts a human."

I sighed loudly rested my head in my hands.

It's not like there's anything I can do about it," Rye pleaded with me, trying to convince me of his character. "

"You are hopeless, Rye. Completely hopeless."

"I never know what you're talking about, Ness."

"You're abilities are important Rye. Every one of them, no matter how…offensive, they may be to women, it has to have a deeper purpose. Don't you want to find some meaning to your powers? Find some reason to use them to better our world, our way of life?"

Rye stopped to think for a moment. I saw him blink several times before he spoke. "You must be out of your mind," he scoffed and shrugged off my noble appeal.

I rolled my eyes once again. He was a perpetual 19-year-old through and through; stubborn and certain he knew everything.

"We're vampires. My purpose is to survive. Just to let you know, my scent isn't fun and giggles all the time either. Do you know how many _things_ out there want to kill me?"

My head snapped back to him as the conversation turned very serious. "What _things_? What do you mean?"

"Haven't you been out there lately?"

I didn't answer him. I'd been living in a bubble of depression for the past half-year.

"Everywhere I go something tries to kill me."

I had forgotten the message Ántonia had left for Rye. It had read, "You will find safety there." At the time I figured she was speaking of the same danger all vampires were facing these days; however, I may have underestimated what Rye had escaped. I put some effort into making my voice steady and relaxed because Rye was far too worked up to answer my questions clearly.

"Now Rye. Listen. What has been trying to kill you? Tell me specifically."

His face began to relax slightly. He was letting his guard down; something it obviously pained him to do. His face softened and his eyes lost their confidence. He ran his hand through his hair and let it rest on his neck. "I don't use my…attraction….ability for any real purpose, Ness. I don't _use _it at all. That is, I can't control it. I used to get a kick out it because it was like I was famous wherever I went. It was sort-of my dream to be famous. And it is kind-of fun when vampires like your aunts or your mother notice me. They are all really nice and treat me like a celebrity. There's no real harm that comes from it. Not everyone reacts to me the way your family does, Ness. I think it's why I was given the power of speed as well."

"What do you mean?"

"Some vampires, they're attracted to my scent, but it's an attraction which is all consuming. They don't want to just be around me, they want to have me for their very own. If they can't have me, well, they'd rather kill me."

"How many have tried?"

"Oh, I lost count a long time ago."

"All vampires? Where have they all been hiding?" I thought back to Ántonia's note. "Creatures crawling from the darkness?"

"I think vampires may be better at hiding then the Volturi or anyone else gives credit. I don't know where they hide, but they always seem to find me if I stay in one place too long. It's why I'm always running – to keep my scent barely noticeable. It's why I went vegetarian. It makes me that much harder to track."

"But it doesn't always work, does it?"

"Yeah, _you_ caught me."

I laughed despite the serious tone of the conversation. He still did not look completely relaxed as he had been when he first sat down next to me. I began to understand why he didn't leave right after he left the message. He had been running for over a hundred years and with my family he could be safe. He could stop running. I hoped it would be easier for me to be nice to him now that I knew his whole story.

"Rye, you can be safe here. I promise."

"Why is it _you _aren't attracted to me?" he asked as he peered over at me through his dark blonde bangs.

"I'm not sure. I do want to kill you sometimes."

He grinned at me and I couldn't help grinning back. Maybe I was finally getting a taste of what my relatives had been experiencing.

"Ántonia knew what she was doing when she gave you that note. She knew my family was too kind and self-controlled to want to kill you and she knew my human half would react differently then my vampire half. My vampire half may want to kill you, but my human half prevents me from actually doing so. You just seem to constantly annoy me instead. I'll have to thank her."

"She was able to warn you and keep me safe," he said with some reverence in his voice. Ántonia really was an amazing person.

"It's like she's protecting all the good vampires in the world, one by one."

"The more I hear about this woman the more I want to meet her."

"She's bad that way. So, the Gypsy vampire hunters have organized and are a definite threat, the Volturi are unstable and are in danger of destroying anything they wish, and every crazed unknown vampire is creeping out from the darkness attracted to the power of the Volturi, not to mention you."

Rye nodded his head slowly. Probably comprehending what he had just gotten himself into. I was just beginning to comprehend it myself.

"What should we do now?"

"I don't know. I'm not sure what Ántonia wants me to do. But if she's in trouble I can't abandon her. I have to see her."

"Me too."

"Are you sure? Every crazed vampire will want you and Romania may be the least safe place on the planet."

"I've dodged them this long; I'll survive one more trip. Besides, I have to meet this Ántonia, and thank her at least. I haven't stopped running for more than a five minutes for the last century. It's been kind-of nice to take a break."


	6. Alright Alright

**Chapter VI: Alright Alright  
**

_JACK: I must retire to my room for a moment. Gwendolyn, wait here for me._

_GWENDOLYN: If you are not too long, I will wait for you all my life._

_I glanced over at Sasha. We were both furiously reading individual copies of __The Importance of Being Earnest__. We had innocently been discussing literature when I had asked him how fast he could read. He wasn't sure and of course the competitive nature in me wanted to know who was faster, him or me. I decided we would figure it out by reading the same thing at the same time; except, the test may have been skewed. I refocused myself to the page. _

_CHASUBLE: What do you think this means, Lady Bracknell? _

_LADY BRACKNELL: I dare not even suspect, Dr. Chasuble. I need hardly tell you that in families of high position strange coincidences are not supposed to occur. They are hardly considered the thing._

_CECILY: Uncle Jack seems strangely agitated. _

_I looked back at Sasha again. His eyes were moving quite energetically across the pages. The corners of his mouth curled up and his eyes brightened. Gwendolyn must have just said something humorous in the last scene of the play. This is what made the test skewed. Sasha kept distracting me, although unintentionally, and I couldn't seem to stop myself from being distracted. _

"_Done!" He snapped the book shut happily at his accomplishment. I hadn't even been looking at my copy of the play and was awoken from my stare. _

"_No fair, you cheated!" I responded like the sore loser I was._

"_Well, you would have won if you had concentrated on the book instead of looking up at me every three seconds." _

_So he had noticed. I don't know how he couldn't have. I didn't do much to make it inconspicuous. I decided I wouldn't deny it. _

_"I couldn't help it. I like watching you read."_

"_What could possibly be so entertaining?"_

"_It's just, the way your eyes react to what you're reading. I know exactly where you are in the story, whether it's sad or exciting or romantic, your eyes give it away every time."_

"_Can I tell you then how pleased I am I managed to find something speed-related I can outdo you at?" he said, his voice brimming with pride. I couldn't bring myself to be annoyed at him, but I wouldn't congratulate him either. _

"_Give me another year to age and we'll have a rematch."_

"_I will look forward to it."_

"_Hey, so tell me, which is your favorite?"_

"_Which what?"_

"_Which heroine? You've read every famous and non-famous novel out there and you paint their likenesses in staggering detail. Who is your favorite?"_

"_It is quite difficult to choose. It changes of course. Recently, and for a long while, it was Jane Eyre."_

"_Really? She's so ineffectual, don't you think?"_

"_I always believed she was quite aware of herself. She found the importance of education and found a place in the world even though she grew up with the smallest of opportunities."_

"_Yes but she would have given it all up to be married."_

"_Yet she denies her heart and stands firm on her moral beliefs."_

"_I would be more impressed if she fought for him."_

"_You just said you disliked her for giving up her vocation for marriage," He made a dramatic gesture with his hand when he pointed out the dissonance of my argument._

"_I know, but she needed to decide on one or the other. If she wanted to pursue teaching she should have done that, if she wanted a life with Rochester than she should have fought for him. It doesn't seem like she was passionate enough about either thing. The girl doesn't have enough of a backbone." _

"_She did not have much of a choice do you not think?"_

_I adored these discussions with him. There is nothing more fun that arguing over literature._

"_I suppose so. I guess what bothers me the most is so much of their happily ever after is based on luck. If she hadn't received the inheritance she would have stayed at that school and taught rural farm kids for the rest of her life. Or she might have experienced something incredible if she went on the mission trip."_

"_Does not her cousin die while he is on the mission?" Sasha asked with a raised eyebrow. _

"_That is beside the point," I stated while he smiled at me. "Either way she never would have gone back to Rochester."_

"_I think when it comes to love a little trust must be put in fate."_

"_I've never been a big believer in fate."_

"_I see that in you monster-girl, someday you will see its purpose in you life."_

"_When?" I asked desperately. _

My eyes snapped open. _Damn. _Another dream. Another night without sleep. I looked over at the clock. It read 2:43 a.m. Sunrise wouldn't be for several hours. I continued lying on my back and ran the dream through my head again before consciousness fully set in. It had been a lovely dream. It relived one of our lazy afternoons spent at Ántonia's castle in Romania. I shook the grief out of my chest before it overtook me entirely and climbed out of bed. I walked quietly through the living room. My parents weren't around so I walked out the front door. I took a few steps toward the river when I heard shouting.

"No fair! You took a head start!"

"How many times do I have to beat you until you accept it?"

"Enough times until you accept I'm better, bloodsucker!"

I quickly followed the noise into the woods and abruptly came upon Rye and Jacob who were shouting intensely at one another. Jacob's face was fearsome with anger and Rye just appeared smug as he often did. Either way, they didn't even notice me until I was yard away from the two.

"Jacob? Rye? What are you doing?"

"Oh, hey Ness. I just got acquainted with your new friend here," Jacob said icily. I suddenly felt guilty I hadn't introduced the two formally. I was now seeing the immature consequences of not doing so.

"Yeah Nessie, we're just having a friendly little race. Isn't that right, Jacob?"

I sighted and rolled my eyes at both of them. Yeah, a super-competitive former Olympic athlete and a jealous best friend, real friendly I'm sure.

"A race, huh? Jacob why are you here in the middle of the night? You've got school tomorrow," I said as I tried to chastise him. I expected this behavior from Rye, but not from Jacob. Jacob responded but he wasn't really talking in my direction. His eyes were still locked on Rye.

"I heard through the grapevine you guys had a guest and I thought I should meet him."

"Nessie, you never told me you were such great friends with werewolves. It's quite fascinating. I haven't met one in decades. Glad to know I still have a huge upper-hand over them."

"One more time. To the meadow. No more cutting me off."

"Now you start putting in rules? Make up your mind, wolf."

"Stop! Stop!" I shouted and put myself in between the two of them. Why do boys have to be so stupid? Jacob appeared absolutely livid while Rye had an arrogant and juvenile smile across his face. It made me want to slap him, but that would be a bad example for Jacob. "I think that's enough for tonight. Rye, go back to the house, please."

"Aw, come on Nessie. I haven't raced anything with four legs in years."

"House. Now," I said sternly. He turned slowly, for him at least, gave an overconfident look to Jacob, and flew back to the house. He was probably going to brag to everyone there about his superior speed for the thousandth time.

I was alone with Jacob. His face had lost some of its intensity now Rye was gone. "What are you thinking, Jacob?"

"What? I heard there was a new vampire in town. It's kinda my job to check it out."

"Who told you?"

"Seth saw him running through the forest yesterday, and then at your house. It sounded like you guys were having a lovely-flipping-picnic with the guy." Seth must have seen me when I was speaking with Rye by the river. That image would not make Jacob happy.

"He brought the message from Ántonia," I interrupted quickly. Jacob immediately paused and the accusation in his voice faded away.

"Oh, he didn't mention that."

I wasn't surprised. Rye couldn't have antagonized him so much if Jacob had been in the loop.

"What did he say about her?"

"He doesn't actually know her. It's all that damn mystery again."

"You should have told me about him, Ness. What do you think I thought when I heard there was a new vampire around you were being all chummy with?"

"Chummy? Seth obviously did not look very carefully because if he did he would know I absolutely loathe the kid."

"What?" Jacob half-coughed as he asked. I don't think he'd ever seen me dislike anyone aside from our mutual enemies.

"Let me take that back, I don't hate him, I just can't stand him."

"Really?" Jacob couldn't hide the partial elation in his voice. He was taking a great deal of enjoyment from this conversation.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. Trust me, he's harmless."

"I think I got that too." Satisfied Rye wasn't a new gentleman caller he would have to fight off, Jacob became a bit more serious. "How have you been? I see you're up in the middle of the night."

"Yeah," I said inconsequently as I ran a hand over one of my arms absentmindedly.

"Another dream?"

"Yeah," I repeated solemnly. I had let Jacob know about my dreams but he never pressed to hear the specifics. He didn't really need to ask. There were times I was so completely grateful Jacob had the ability to bring me out of my depression over losing Sasha, but there was another part which was certain it pained Jacob to do so. How would you feel if you had no other choice but to comfort your ex after they had a major break-up with a different person? Although Jacob wasn't really my ex because we had never been together technically, and Sasha and I didn't break-up, he passed away. Nor was I convinced if Jacob was helping me because he wanted to, but because he had to. The imprinting always had a way of making things complicated where they should have been clear. In any case, I still felt certain the dreams I had been having about Sasha must have been hurting him as much as they had been hurting me.

"Have you made any decisions about Romania?"

"Yes. I think it's time."

"Okay. I'll let Billy know soon. Have you told your parents?"

"No. I will. Today I guess."

"Good. Do it while I'm at school. I don't want to be around for that conversation."

"Thanks for your support," I said sarcastically. I knew how to get him back though. "Oh, I should mention. Rye is coming with us. He wants to meet Ántonia too." Jacob rotated his jaw and sighed quietly. I smiled, knowing I had won this particular competition. Well, I wasn't thrilled about Rye coming either, but Jacob didn't know that.


	7. I Wonder if You Can

**Chapter VII: I Wonder If You Can **

After listening to a nearly forty-five minute argument with Jacob about how we shouldn't take Rye along to Romania I had convinced Jacob to go home and go to school while still retaining the original plan I had come up with. I made my way back to the house and found my mother sitting the living room looking quite distraught. I had only just decided on leaving so I didn't understand how she could know my plans already. I hoped there wasn't something else happening. I couldn't leave if my family was in some kind of distress.

"Mom, what's going on?"

"Your father and I were just speaking with Alice. She said she was seeing pieces of Rye's future. Now it has abruptly disappeared." I knew what that meant. Rye's future had gotten too entangled with Jacob's and mine. "Before her visions disappeared she saw him at an airport. Coincidentally, she hasn't seen any of us at an airport. Why would she see that Renesmee?" she asked knowing the answer full well. Since we received the message from Ántonia she must have known it would be inevitable I would go to her. Although my last encounter with Ántonia was more of an argument than anything, I couldn't forget all she had done for me prior to it. She illuminated to me the potential route my life could take and helped me understand the person I was. How I could I ignore one of my greatest mentors in her time of need?

I sat down beside my mother and as much as I wanted to, I didn't take her hand in mine to comfort her. I couldn't accidently show her any doubts or fears I might be harboring. I would need the utmost confidence to convince her to let me leave.

"Mom, I have to do this. Ántonia is my friend and she needs me."

"She says Romania is not safe. Rye has said the same thing," my mother said calmly despite the emotion which was creeping into her voice. I could understand her fears, I had the same ones. The threat of the Gypsies and the kind of pain they could inflict was all too real to me. My stomach clenched for a moment when I thought of their arrows, their scent, and horrid look of hatred on their faces. I was able to keep myself under control visibly and I was glad neither my father nor Uncle Jasper was in the room. They would have instantly ratted me out.

"The last time I was in Romania I told Ántonia I didn't want a role in the change she was seeking. She's asking me to reconsider because she needs my help, I know it."

"Why can't your father and I come with you?" Her eyes were begging me and would have most certainly been filled with moisture if she still had the ability. The appeal of running away flashed through me momentarily. At least when you run away you don't have to look into the eyes of the people you leave behind. I wouldn't actually do that again though. It would hurt me too much to know I hurt them. However, I seemed to hurt them no matter what I did.

"Because we all know Ántonia is saying more in her message than meets the eye. She sent the note with someone who is almost impossible to track and she only asked for me. It must be too dangerous for ten vampires to just go wandering around Romania."

"What about Jacob and Rye?"

"We will be safe. I promise," I pledged slowly. "We're just going to find her and take her back here. That's all. I swear."

"If she's not in her home, please come back. Don't go roaming all over Romania blind."

I didn't really want to promise that. I couldn't be a hundred percent sure Ántonia would be at her castle and I didn't want to be making limitations on the search already. I sighed quietly and answered as best I could.

"I promise we won't do anything without being prepared." I could tell my mother wasn't happy with my response but she didn't push it any further. "Where's dad?" I asked as I glanced around the room. A conversation such as this would usually be something they would take on together.

"He's talking with Alice still. I think we may have her working too hard."

I grinned slightly. It was hard to imagine any of my family members getting tired out as I did.

"Renesmee…" my mother began. "_Have _you reconsidered? What exactly do you plan to do?"

"Mom, trust me. I'm not going to run to Italy with Ántonia on some crazy suicide mission." I didn't even want to set foot near Italy. The Eastern hemisphere was in bad shape in general. My mother nervously played with her fingers as we sat together. She had gotten quite good at the human pretensions which used to come naturally to her only a few years ago. Although, even with her talent I could tell she was holding something back. "What is it?"

"I have something else to ask, but I am afraid it might upset you. Yet I am also afraid I may not get another chance to ask."

I nodded to encourage her to continue.

"What is your opinion of Jacob these days?"

I sighed and laughed at the same time. This question was of much lighter fare then I had anticipated. My mother thought she had asked something which completely violated my privacy and instantly attempted to justify herself.

"I am simply worried going back to Romania will stir up more than you expect. I don't want you to go through that hurt again, Nessie." She was speaking of course of Sasha and described yet another one of my fears about leaving. I knew my parents would never admit it, but part of them feared I would never get over losing him. I certainly knew neither of them would ever get over losing the other. They wouldn't even try to get over it. Part of me feared it, but I was also confused about the whole situation at the same time. I had no idea how balance my grief over Sasha with my feelings for Jacob. Luckily, he was astoundingly patient.

"Jacob and I are very close. He's been wonderful the past six months. I'm happy with him, but we haven't officially begun anything. I'm not ready for that."

"I understand," she responded.

I couldn't tell you if she really understood or not. She'd never gone through anything remotely similar. Her sympathy was important to me and I appreciated it, yet I couldn't expect her to empathize. Truly, I wouldn't want anyone to have my same experience. Such a thing would be terribly cruel. My father entered the room only a few moments later.

"Hi Dad. Is Alice alright?"

He walked closer to the two of us and I could sense the stress emanating from him. He was usually quite skilled at hiding his emotions. It tore my heart to experience first-hand what they had gone through when I left a year and a half ago. As much as I loved them I couldn't stay. I wasn't sure yet if they could stand to ask me to.

"Yes and no. She's become quite frustrated. She seems to think her power is broken. She hasn't had a clear vision in a while."

"I'm sorry." Such a simple statement encompassed so many things. I noticed my father give a look to my mother whose face was disappointed and worried. My father gulped once before he spoke.

"So it's true. You are going?"

"Yes."

"And you will be careful?"

"Yes," I attempted to say with as much confidence my little voice could muster. My father never liked things being out of his control; hence, his stress. I supposed all of Alice's clouded visions were proof they weren't going to stop me.

"Call us if you need us," he demanded gently. It was such a normal human phrase for a normal human situation. It sounded completely foreign coming from my father's mouth.

* * *

End of Part I


	8. Living Life in Peace

**Part II—Chapter I: Living Life in Peace **

_The living room. The couch. No parents and no family around. What else would two young healthy kids of the opposite sex be doing? _

_Sasha was lying on the sofa with me contentedly on top of him. My hands were clinging to his chest and shoulders while his were wound tightly against my lower back. I could spend every waking moment wrapped up with Sasha. Damn my need for sleep. _

_Suddenly, I felt his lips stop moving and his hands grasped both my wrists purposefully pushing me off of him. My heart sank momentarily and my voice was raspy as it passed through my throat. "What? What's the matter?"_

_He looked awkwardly into my pleading eyes. With as much sensitivity as he could muster he said gently, "Uh…you did it again."_

_Embarrassment flooded my face. We had developed a slight problem since this progression in our relationship. It wasn't the kissing, that part was great. It was my damn brain. More often than not, I would let my power get away from me and my thoughts would flow out into whatever I was touching. I just happened to be touching Sasha. The awkward part was I would also be thinking about Sasha when I accidentally released a mental picture of my thoughts; which in the end is what made our weird little problem. If you haven't figured it out yet, Sasha would be kissing me but his mind would be full of thoughts about kissing himself. Not a relationship ending predicament, but unusual all the same. _

"_Oh, geez, I'm sorry," I said as he released my wrists. "I'm not doing it on purpose I swear. I get…distracted." I let my hand trail over the open edge of his button-down shirt; two buttons had unknowingly come undone during our activities. _

"_I know. You must understand it is just strange for me." He ran the back of his fingers up my neck, just shy of my chin, trying to use his cold touch to lessen my burning embarrassment. _

"_I'm sorry anyway." I sat up, still sitting in his lap, leaned against the back of the couch and folded my arms tightly across my chest. Sasha also sat up and leaned against the arm of the couch while one of his hands played with a strand of my hair and the other rested on my knee._

_ "I should be flattered. At least I know you are thinking about me," he teased, attempting to shake me out of my new crankiness. Talk about ruining the mood. _

"_I'm really beginning to hate my ability. It doesn't do anyone any good."_

"_That is not true, Nessie. Your abilities do have a purpose."_

"_And when was the last time you used your ability, my vampire friend?"_

"_I am not a good example I am aware," he conceded. It was wonderful he was able to identify the moments when I wanted to argue and the moments I just wanted to vent. Such a skill can really explain how perceptive a person is. _

"_I just want more control. These are my thoughts I should be able to decide who sees them and who doesn't. How long was it until your power became stronger?"_

"_I…um…am not sure." His eyes sparkled momentarily at me. As if he could speak anything but the truth. _

"_You are a terrible liar," I accused. He was excellent at lies of omission, but at blatant lies he failed miserably. _

"_Around the twenty year mark I suppose. After you lose the initial strength of being a newborn you begin to gain it back slowly." _

"_Twenty years?"_

"_You say it like it is such a long time."_

"_It is a long time for those of us who weren't around during the Renaissance," I barked at him. He pushed the strand of hair he was playing with behind my ear and responded quite soothingly,_

_ "Do not worry, everything to do with you monster-girl is unpredictable. You do not fit in to any norm, vampire or otherwise, your power will increase when you need it," he explained confidently. _

"_At least you're sure." _

"_In the mean time, I suppose I could cut you a little slack. You are on a different learning curve than the rest of us after all." His grin was too wicked for words. _

"_I like that strategy."I leaned forward into his welcoming arms… _

"Nessie! Ness! It's time to get up." Jacob awoke me. It took me a second to be brought back to reality. We were in the uncomfortable coach section of the plane. Being reminded I was in very close proximity to 200 other people while having a very private dream brought back feelings of embarrassment I had just experienced.

The plane ride to Romania was incredibly long and we had an even more difficult time trying to get to the castle itself. In one instance, we couldn't travel by bus or train because we would risk running into Gypsy hunters, but we also couldn't go entirely through the back roads and woods without risking running into other vampires lured out by Rye's irresistible scent. In the end we traveled as far as we could by rental car, and then hiked the remainder of the way. All the time Rye complained we were going far too slowly. He explained a countless number of times he could have been to Romania and back to Forks five times in the length of time it was taking us. Jacob and I silently ignored him for the most part.

It was hard to believe this was my third time coming to the mysterious ivy-covered vampire palace. I tried not to prepare myself mentally on purpose. The last time I was here I was so emotionally numb I didn't even think about it. Luckily, or unluckily, however you want to interpret it, my reaction when we came upon the castle was rather composed. As the three of us stood in front of the daunting magical castle I felt Jacob's eyes fixed on me ready to catch me if a fainted or cried, but I was fine. I was just fine…

I was the first to enter the castle door being I was the only one who might be expected to come by. Unfortunately, Ántonia was not awaiting my arrival in the main reading room as I had envisioned. My heart ached with the fear she might be hurt, or even dead. The three of us quietly walked through the endless maze of books. Everything was in the exact place I remembered. I may have been composed when we initially arrived but things were rapidly becoming less focused. The sights, the sounds, and especially the smells were causing memories to dance through my mind. The thoughts distracted me so much I jumped slightly when Jacob and Rye suddenly perked up.

"I heard something a little ways ahead," Jacob whispered to me. I was a little self-conscious I hadn't noticed the sound. I was determined to be able to handle this. I regained my self-control as the three of us tiptoed from room to room. I heard the sound once I paid attention. Someone was humming. It wasn't until we reached Ántonia's study that we found the source. Standing at Ántonia's desk was a young girl. With her back to the entrance she was polishing a set of antique pewter candlesticks and humming a slow and melodic lullaby to herself. Completely oblivious to the danger surrounding her she finished polishing the second candlestick, picked up a tray holding them, and turned toward the entrance.

"Oh my goodness!" the girl shouted. Her voice was dwarfed in the sound of the pewter candlesticks and a silver tray clanging against the hardwood floor. It echoed through the entire castle despite the sound absorption the books provided. The girl ignored the tray she dropped and covered her mouth with her hands. She was a human and she was very pretty. She had dark olive skin with long black loose curls which tumbled down to her lower-back. Her raven colored hair contrasted sharply with a wispy white dress held up by spaghetti straps and ending just above her knees. She was young, probably around 16, and her wide green eyes made evident her innocence. I found something familiar about her and I couldn't help thinking of the portrait in my former guest room.

"You are vampires!" she suddenly shouted. "Well, _you_ are…" Her eyes gestured toward Rye. "_You_ are not," she gestured toward Jacob. "And you, I think you are. Hmmm…" she mumbled as her hand remained over her gaping mouth. The three of us gave each other a puzzled look.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" I asked over her incoherencies.

"Alina. Alina Petrescu."

"Alina…" I walked up to her very, very slowly. I didn't want to startle her too badly, although she seemed to have a good hold on what was going on. She had more of a clue than I did. The girl's heart was beating nervously but her eyes were inexplicably excited. There was definitely no trace of fear in them.

"She said you would come," the girl uttered with reverence while she finally let her hands drop to her sides.

"Ántonia? Where is she?"

"I am afraid she is gone. Sometimes it is only for a day, sometimes it is longer. Lately it has been around a week."

"What has she been doing?"

"I am not wholly sure. It varies." She had obviously been spending too much time with Ántonia. Cryptic. "Excuse my impertinence; you are _domnişoară_ Renesmee, are you not?"

"Nessie," I corrected.

"Oh, I am so glad to meet you _domnişoară_Nessie. I am Alina, as I already said. Ántonia talks about you constantly. Please have a seat." Alina led us to sit down in the comfortable leather chairs like a perfect hostess. She finally remembered the candlesticks which had crashed against the floor and quickly threw them and the tray back onto the Ántonia's desk. Jacob sat next to me and continued to look the place over. I supposed he didn't see much danger in a 16-year-old human girl. Rye, on the other hand, refrained from sitting down and was studying the girl intensely, in an almost frightening way.

"Alina, this is Jacob and this is Rye. You were right. Rye is the only real vampire here."

"I noticed right away. It is my gift," she announced proudly.

"Your gift?"

"Yes, I can tell if someone is a vampire. I know all humans know on some certain level but I have a special eye for it. I am a Gypsy, but do not worry, I am not exactly on their side anymore."

I was astounded by her ease. She blathered on like she was talking to old friends. And she was a _Gypsy_? What was a Gypsy doing in the castle of a vampire? Jacob quickly got the question out of the way.

"A Gypsy? Why didn't we smell you?"

"Oh, do you mean the overwhelming scent vampires experience? Only the men have that scent. The women have no scent at all. While the men cloud a vampire's senses, woman can completely evade them. Lucky, is it not?" she clarified with a smile. That explained a few things actually. I wished Sasha would have told me more about Gypsies before he…well, before. I continued with a more important question.

"Alina, we're just here to see Ántonia. Do you know where we could find her?"

"No…not really," she answered softly. "It would be best to wait here until she comes back. Things are not as safe as they used to be."

I sighed in frustration. There was nothing I wanted more than to get out of this castle, this country for that matter. Jacob sensed my distress and gently held my hand.

"Tell me if you would, what are you exactly?" the young girl asked with some trepidation. As she had been calling me _domnişoară_I surmised she must have been well-practiced in lady-like propriety. Her innocent curiosity got the best of her and she continued, "You do not look the same as a normal vampire."

"I am half vampire, half human," I said indifferently.

"I see it now. The human half clouds my eye, I can barely even tell."

"What do you mean? What kind of eye do you have?"

"It is all to do with my gift. I suppose you would call what I see an aura more or less. Although, my ability identifies vampires only. They just have a sort-of glow. It is difficult to explain and the glow does change. If the vampire is not thirsty the aura is white; however, the thirstier a vampire is the closer the aura is to black. Your aura is fainter than a normal vampire's is yet I can tell it is white. Yours has just a slight touch of grey," she said in Rye's direction. He had himself pinned against a bookcase. His eyes were practically bulging out of his head. I would have been concerned when Alina said his aura looked grey, but Rye had decent self-control and he couldn't bite a Gypsy anyway. "Are you alright?" she asked happily. Rye nodded his head briskly in response his jaw clenched tightly.

I continued my interrogation. "What is going on with the Gypsies? Why did you leave them?"

"I was…unhappy with the way things were being run," she said vaguely. On some topics she would give more information than I cared for and for others she was irritatingly ambiguous.

"Perhaps you should start at the beginning, Alina."

"Well, it is a strange story. You know Gypsies are gifted with abilities to hunt vampires?"

I looked away from her momentarily. I lost my voice. Jacob noticed this and prodded her on.

"Yeah, we know all about it."

"So the theory is, for quite, quite, a long time our abilities were dormant because the vampire population was more or less settled. There was no longer any kind of power struggle. The instructions on hunting became stories, became legends, became silly folklore used to scare tourists. I remember my brothers teasing me with the stories – none of us believed any of them. Around seven years ago, things began to change. Kids as young as five years old to adults as old as twenty-five began displaying these magnificent abilities. Practically like super powers. It was around then I saw my first vampire. I didn't even know what I was seeing at the time. It was also around this time Gypsies were being reorganized."

"What do you mean?" Jacob asked intently. I was thinking the same thing but I had not yet reduced the lump growing in my throat.

"Please realize, nowadays the Gypsy bloodline is stretched very thin, there are probably a dozen pureblood Gypsies at the most. However, even the smallest fraction of Gypsy heritage guarantees a person the benefits of their bloodline and the responsibility of their power. Consequently, though there may be very few pure Gypsies, there is a great number of small-percentage Gypsies. With these greater numbers our community needed to be brought back together. A group of young men and their leader, Nicolae, took it upon themselves to do so. And it worked quite well, to an extent."

I let out an involuntary breath as my heart beat against my ribs. My mind spun as it returned to the forest on the fateful day I lost Sasha. Nicolae had been there, the leader of the vigilante vampire hunters had been standing with me in Forks only six months ago. He had been the one who discovered my identity and issued the bounty on me. Luckily, Alina was too wrapped up in her story to notice my distress.

"The community _was_ brought back together. And it was generally believed if our powers were returning than naturally the vampires must be in some kind of confusion which can be quite dangerous for humans. Nicolae and his group recruited every young man and woman above the age of thirteen to help in one way or another. My brothers have all joined; my younger sister even. I was a part of it all too, I will not deny it."

I was beginning to calm down as Alina explained her tragic story. I found my voice again. "Why did you leave your family?"

"The anti-vampire rhetoric is extremely cruel. They desire to exterminate vampires. The training, the fighting, it is a horrible thing to witness. However, I see things differently then my compatriots do. Yes, my gift tells me who is and who is not a vampire, but it is not all I see. I can see how thirsty they are, I can tell how many people they have killed, and I can see their frame of mind. Sometimes it is nothing but bloodlust; however, in other cases such as you, Nessie, it is something else. Hope maybe, and possibly, fear."

I cursed my eyes internally for giving my weakness away so easily even if Alina was extremely perceptive. I was filled with fear. Fear that Ántonia could be dead and fear that I may have led my friends into a giant death trap as well. I knew no vampire would ever admit to fearing humans. I knew better.

"And how did you end up staying with Ántonia?"

Alina perked up a little at this question and regained her original spark. "Oh! That is very simple. She had been keeping a close eye on the Gypsies. She is probably the only vampire in existence who could due to her stealth ability. She noticed my difference in opinion when it came to vampires and she asked me to join her cause. I had to do something. I could not justify the slaughter of vampires, not all vampires at least. Although, since coming here I have not yet done much of any consequence…sometimes I think she is just lonely."

I smiled at Alina's pure spirit and slight naiveté. She had given up so much for a race of creatures which were arguably inherently violent, but not evil. Evil is definitely not reserved for creatures of the supernatural kind.

"Since she lost that young companion of hers," she muttered faintly. My eyes immediately focused on Alina's.

"Did you know him?" I asked without even thinking. _Did I even want to know the answer to this question?_

"No, not personally. Although, I did see him once. He was my first, I mean the first vampire I ever saw. I was living in a town not far from here and I saw him when I was only nine years old. His aura was bright white. I thought he was an angel. Did you ever meet him?"

"Yes…" I barely managed to whisper. I wished Ántonia had informed Alina of a little more information. I doubted Alina would have brought Sasha up if she had known what he meant to me. I felt Jacob squeeze my hand tightly.

Suddenly, Rye sprung forward from the bookcase and leaned roughly against the back of the sofa. He had been lurking so quietly I had completely forgotten about him. He asked Alina quite accusingly, "How can we trust you? For all we know the Gypsies have taken over this castle."

Alina straightened her posture and spoke with a great deal of confidence at his question. "I suppose you have no reason to trust me. However, consider this. Although I may not look it I could kill you quite easily. I trained for many years before I came here. And even if I were not able to kill you, your killing of me would guarantee your death as well. So in truth, I have nothing to fear and you have everything to fear. Yet here I sit quite happily, willing to welcome you into my home and share my stories and anything else I can to make you comfortable." Rye was completely taken aback by her response as were Jacob and I. Lethal and bubbly; she was quite a combination. Rye retreated from his commanding stance and nodded silently. I wasn't quite sure what was warranting Rye's strange behavior but I did not care to deconstruct it just yet. Alina regained her happy hostess attitude once more and stood up.

"Come, let us find somewhere for you to sleep. Ántonia will be so happy to see you all when she returns."


	9. I Hope Someday You'll Join Us

**Chapter II: I Hope Someday You'll Join Us  
**

Not so surprisingly, I didn't have much capacity for sleep. I fought off the jetlag tenaciously. I was partially afraid of the dreams I might have. Returning to Ántonia's house of magic and mystery forced dozens of memories to the surface of my consciousness.

Currently, I was sitting alone on a large sofa of the main reading room silently and regretfully observing the immaculate portraits. Alina had gone to bed after insisting she show us around the castle like a tour guide. I couldn't understand how an animated character like her could stand the isolation – then again, that may have accounted for the tour altogether.

Jacob entered the room from outside, barefoot, but fully dressed and sat down next to me. "I thought you were going to bed," he stated.

"I'm not tired," I said plainly.

Jacob nodded and recognized my aggravated tone, which was probably due to the lack of sleep. However, I didn't want to admit it and thankfully Jacob didn't point it out.

"Did you find anything?" I asked him. Jacob had been patrolling the perimeter of the castle grounds looking for…god knows what. Sometimes men need to do pointless things to calm their stress.

"No, to be honest I didn't go very far. I should have asked Alina what the Gypsy's thoughts were on werewolves."

"I don't think they'd be on the pro side."

Jacob nodded again. I leaned my head back against the top edge of the couch so I could look at the ceiling. I was tired…I was also stubborn.

"You really should sleep, Ness," Jacob gently prodded.

"I don't want to sleep right now," I said with greater irritation creeping into my voice.

"Are you afraid you'll dream about him?" Jacob asked quietly.

I lifted my head up and looked at him. He was fiddling with the strings of his sweatshirt.

"How did you know?" _What a stupid question._

"On the plane…while you were sleeping, I was holding your hand at first…"

"Oh…I see," I said as I thought back to my latest dream which had included my first boyfriend Sasha and I having a very private moment. I was suddenly glad I didn't have the ability to project my thoughts without physically touching. Otherwise 200 human passengers would have gotten to know me quite personally.

"Don't worry. I didn't watch the whole thing."

"As embarrassing as it all is I can't control my dreams, Jacob."

"How often do you dream about him?"

"It's not important."

"Yes, it is," Jacob argued with tender urgency.

I paused while I tried to decide if I should admit to everything or continue to claim denial. I also figured he probably already had a good guess as to how often I dreamt about him. "A lot," I answered with the same cryptic quality Ántonia would use. Jacob didn't say anything. He just continued running his fingers over the strings of his hood. If he refused to look at me I would refuse to look at him. "I cannot deal with jealous Jake right now," I said while I leaned my head against the back of the couch again.

"Ness, I'm not jealous. I'm disappointed."

"Disappointed in what?"

"In myself. I'm supposed to be helping you, but I don't seem to be making you any better."

Talk about a guilt trip. I sighed and took his hand in mine. "You do Jake, you have," I tried to sound reassuring but I think I may have just sounded exhausted.

"You can't even sleep, Ness. It's kind-of a necessary physiological need and I can't even give you that."

"Please don't blame yourself Jake. It's annoying," I said with some slight humor in my voice. I suddenly realized I couldn't remember the last time I cracked a joke…in my dream I suppose. Initially, missing Sasha was completely overwhelming. It was difficult to do everyday things and I had to fake my smile constantly. Over time I had noticed the overwhelming feeling had become more of a bothersome buzzing which was only stirred up when I thought about him too much or woke up from an imaginary conversation with him. The change came mostly as a direct result of Jacob's support. Jacob had been one of the only people who treated me like I was strong enough to get passed this. My family was immensely supportive of course, but they didn't understand my feelings the same way Jake did – maybe because he had actually gone through the same situation, something close anyway. He lost my mother and then me for a while. I realized perhaps it didn't appear like my emotional health was improving and maybe Jake was getting impatient; both with me and himself. I continued, "I know it's taking longer than any of us want it to. But any progress I make towards becoming myself or some form of myself again, a great deal of it is due to you, Jake. Don't give up on me yet."

"I wasn't planning on it."

Jake and I stared at each other for a few moments. One thing we had going for us was how comfortable we could both be in silence. I didn't feel awkward nor did it cause me any anxiety as it sometimes can when talking with friends. Jacob wasn't just my friend after all. The silence did allow my mind to clear momentarily and a new chain of thought entered my head.

"Where is Rye?" I asked as I scanned my surroundings with my senses.

"Oh…uh….I think he's running around the grounds as well. He needed to hunt I believe."

"That's probably not a good idea."

"Well, he is incredibly hard to track. Plus, I'm not sure he could handle being in the same building as Alina."

I recalled the tense look of his muscles and the great amount of concentration he had exerted when we were chatting with Alina. "Yeah, what was up with that?"

"I can't say for sure, but, I have seen that look before."

"When?"

"I've seen Edward look at Bella like that – like he's halfway between killing her and kissing her."

"What?" I inquired incredulously. "That is absurd. Alina is a Gypsy, she would kill him."

"No more absurd than a human falling for a vampire." Jacob pointed out, referencing my parents again.

"This sounds very bad."

"I hope it's not the case, for both their sakes." I leaned against Jacob's warm shoulder. The talking had distracted my brain enough for my body to begin to surrender to sleep. I closed my eyes and let the waves of reduced consciousness envelope me. I half prayed not to dream and half prayed to see him one more time.


	10. Living For Today

**Chapter III: Living For Today  
**

"_Chutes!"_

"_Ladders!" I called out triumphantly. _

_Sasha and I were sitting in the living room of my parent's cottage. We sat on the floor on either side of the coffee table with my favorite game of all time in between us. _

"_I do not understand this game. There is no strategy, there is barely a point. Why is this your favorite game?" Sasha asked with annoyance in his voice. He happened to be losing. _

"_I love this game because it is so pointless. When you grow up in a household of eight highly competitive vampires, it is quite a relief to find a game completely based on chance and not skill. Even if Alice cheats it doesn't change what she will spin."_

"_It does not offer much as an intellectual stimulus."_

"_Yeah, you try playing __Monopoly__ with my family. We had a game that went on for four and half weeks. Then they just suggested we play with real money and actual real estate. They suck all the fun out of board games." I took the spinner from Sasha's hand and twirled it again. I moved my pawn and climbed up another ladder. I only had a few more spaces left._

"_You are too lucky."_

"_Don't be too sure." _

_Sasha spun his turn and managed to land on the ever coveted number 80 square which lead him right up a ladder to the blue ribbon winning spot. He smiled quite delightedly for having just been complaining about the pointlessness of the game._

"_Look at that, you won," I said as I attempted to be a good sport – something I failed at quite often. _

"_This game is a tad bit dissatisfying. Just when you think you are at the top and untouchable someone can sneak right in and take the game." _

_I raised my arms up and stretched the kinks out of my back caused by sitting on the floor. "You're far too philosophical for Milton Bradley I think."_

"_Those are the tactics you must prepare yourself for, Nessie, the unexpected, even if it seems impossible…" His voice was wound with harsh concern and the board game seemed to disappear between us. _

"_What?" I asked him desperately. _

My eyes snapped open. I was lying on my side on a luxurious leather couch in Ántonia's main reading room. I could hear Jacob snoozing next to me, still in a sitting position. His neck was probably going to be sore in the morning.

As of that moment it didn't look like morning had found Romania yet. The stained glass windows were still black and the room was covered in darkness. As my alertness started to return to me I felt a change in the atmosphere in the room. Someone was standing not more than a few feet from me.

"Ántonia? Is that you?" I spoke into the darkness.

"Shhhh, my dear. He is still sleeping," a gentle and recognizable voice said back.

I was incredibly relieved and excited and all my former sleepiness had been shaken out of me. I sat up instantly despite Ántonia's warning to keep quiet.

"Ántonia! You're safe!" I said in a hoarse whisper, trying to keep my voice down.

Ántonia nodded and gestured to her study. I followed quickly after her so excited I wanted to hug her. Although I knew Ántonia would never allow it given my ability passes through touch. I wouldn't have cared if she did take my power; maybe she could get better use out of it than I ever did.

Ántonia stood next to her desk with her back to me. I noticed her hair seemed different – thinner, and less shiny. The room was dimly lit however which could have accounted for it.

"Ántonia! I'm so glad to see you're safe!"

"I am glad to see you too, my dear. I am quite pleased. I did not know if you would come."

"To be honest, I didn't know either, but I had to make sure you were safe. We're here to take you back with us. If you need it." I wasn't planning on leaving without her but I figured I'd add that last part so she wouldn't feel like I was trying to force her into it. She wasn't someone you could convince easily.

"I am afraid that will not be possible, my dear."

"Why?" I asked genuinely. I knew there would be a myriad of excuses and I was prepared to argue them all. Ántonia's shoulders drooped slightly and she turned back in my direction. I knew then the dim lighting was not the reason for her thinning hair. Her appearance was frightening. Her forehead was deeply wrinkled, her bones were uncomfortably more apparent through her clothes, and her face was inexplicably…grey. Not the bright clear white it had been the last time I had seen her. Her youthfulness was completely gone and her fingernails and skin looked brittle and unnervingly delicate.

"Ántonia…what happened to you?"

"Old age, my dear," she said with a knowing smile. I scowled at her nonsensical response.

"Don't give me any of that mysterious European garbage! Just tell me what is going on!"

"Yes, I apologize. You deserve that," she said apologetically. "You took a great risk coming here and I appreciate it, but it is too late."

"Why?"

"I am ill, Nessie." Ántonia wasn't making any sense. Vampires did not get sick. I hadn't even been sick a day in my life and I was half human. "I do not have to explain the lethal amenities of Gypsy blood to you Nessie; however, with the advances in human medicine and science their threat has increased all the more."

I thought of the crossbows the Gypsy hunters had held against us in the forest. They were a step up from the bows and arrows their ancestors must have used, but that had little to do with the advancements of medicine. I sat quietly waiting for more explanation.

"I have been observing the Gypsies for several months and about two months ago they released a new weapon they developed. It is something like an airborne toxin made from their blood which they released into the atmosphere. It poses no danger to humans yet it has done something terrible to me. Since coming in contact with the toxin I have been severely weakened. I am not as fast, I am not as controlled, and I am not nearly as energized. It takes everything I have to retain my stealth shield."

I didn't even notice my jaw had dropped. I was completely at a loss for words.

"I do not know if these effects are reversible. I do not believe they know either, but I doubt they care. I have seen them capture several different vampires and test the prototypes on them. They have recently perfected the formula. It was this frightening action which drove Alina away."

"The Gypsies are using biological warfare? This is insane."

"Do not worry for Rye and yourself. The area where the toxin has been released is around 200 miles from here. I also do not believe it is contagious, you are safe."

"I wasn't thinking of myself at all, I was thinking of you. This isn't something which could cause…you're not going to…" I couldn't finish my sentence. I knew what Gypsy blood really could do.

"I do not know. This is something none of us have dealt with."

"My family, they don't really believe the Gypsies are a threat." My family had seen the Gypsies as a joke even though they murdered Sasha and even though they knew I believed them dangerous. Apparently, old age can be precarious for a vampire as it causes them to lose perspective. "This is unbelievable."

"Yes…" she murmured.

"_These_ were the creatures you did not know about. We thought you meant hidden vampires."

"My dear, there are no vampires unknown to me." A small smile lit up her dim and weathered face. The sun was finally beginning to peek through the purple and green stained glass.

"They _are_ creatures. They're more evil than the Volturi," I said in a dark tone despite the rising sun.

"They are not evil. They are protecting themselves. I do not blame them, I am not even angry with them. Yet I am…"

"Afraid?" I finished her sentence but she didn't give any indication it was the word she was struggling to find. She wouldn't ever admit to being vulnerable even in her most vulnerable state. "Ántonia, please come back with us. We can help you, we'll find a way."

"My work is here, Nessie. I am not giving up."

"You won't be able to help anyone if you're dead." Ántonia winced involuntarily. She looked sad but not convinced of my request. "If you come back…I will continue…I will do what you foresee of me, whatever that is." The words fell out of my mouth before my brain had fully comprehended what they meant. Perhaps it was pointless to deny one's destiny all along. Ántonia looked at me; her eyes were shining brightly like tears would come from them at any moment.

"I do not want to you to do anything for the wrong reason."

"None of us have a right reason. The Gypsies believe they are right as do the Volturi. You have your reason. We can't all be right." Ántonia nodded with a little more strength in her eyes.

"My intuitive girl, she is back."


	11. Don't You Know that You Can Count Me Out

**Chapter IV: Don't You Know that You Can Count Me Out  
**

I wanted to leave this vampire/Gypsy no-man's land as quickly as possible. Of course, Ántonia found it imperative I get all the facts straight before we left for the States. There was quite a bit to get straight.

First of all, I learned Ántonia had been keeping tabs on the Gypsies since the last time I had been to see her and informed her of Sasha's passing. The last seven years of their training had been a pre-cursor to what they had going now. Now, they were highly organized, much more than the group I had run into six months ago. Their encounter with my family had been the first of many real-life vampire conflicts which increased their experience and confidence exponentially. They also had a huge array of abilities to back them up from speed and strength to telepathy and pre-cognition. They were just as supernatural as any vampire, mermaid, or shape-shifter out there.

Ántonia also informed me of Alina's role in the Gypsy community and why she had gone AWOL and committed the worst kind of treason. Since Alina was around ten she had been in the thick of the Gypsy resurgence and had been highly trained in combat and logic. She excelled as well as the humans at West Point. "Do not cross her," Ántonia had warned me. "She may appear gentle yet she is worth fearing." She had already been placed in leadership roles educating younger Gypsies when she turned 16. However, about four months ago the Gypsies had begun capturing vampires with which to test their anti-vampire poison on and Alina had been the one who found them. As the only member of the community who could positively identify a vampire by sight alone (and from a distance) it made the job of capturing them much easier. At first, Alina had been a big believer in the cause, but her conscience was struck deeply when she witnessed the horrors they were putting their captives through. Without a word she ran off and was caught by Ántonia in the woods outside her castle. Ántonia recognized Alina from her reconnaissance work and could tell she did not harbor the evil spirit some of her brothers and sisters did. Alina actually lived in as much danger from the Gypsies as the rest of us. As a deserter and traitor she faced excommunication and possible death if she were to ever come in contact with them again.

As far as vampires go, it was a little more confusing. Ántonia had come in contact with small bands of vampires who attempted to come together in an effort against the Volturi. No one outside of my coven knew anything about Gypsies. However, the new vampire covens were very poorly organized and had a difficult time staying together without killing each other even if they believed in the same cause. Ántonia assured me this was because they were following the old ways and whatever I would do to fight the Volturi would be successful because I would use a new way. I still wasn't sure what she meant by that. I had been regretting my promise to Ántonia more and more.

The bottom line was there was a very strong and ever growing anti-Volturi feeling amongst the vampire community. Ántonia informed me there had been small skirmishes; some of which were instigated by dissenters, some by the Volturi. Both sides had experienced casualties as well. For the Volturi it was mostly lower level lackeys. Nonetheless, it was all kept very hush-hush. It seemed however, the rebels were not gaining much of an advantage over the Volturi, if any.

It would be too dangerous to actually scout any terrain with all these airborne toxins in the vicinity; so I was finally able to convince Ántonia to get to the airport. This is where we had been sitting for the last 45 minutes waiting for our already delayed flight. Jacob and I were sitting together; he protectively held my hand from time to time. Ántonia sat down next to me attempting to hide her graying face behind her shawl and a large pictorial book of Romania she wasn't reading in the least. Rye and Alina were sitting on the bench directly across from us; however, they were sitting about five seats apart. Alina sat happily with her legs crossed while she filled out a crossword puzzle. Rye kept his arms tight against his chest and concentrated all his energy on not looking at her. I hadn't talked to Rye about his behavior yet. Hopefully, they would make it through the plane ride – it would be a very small space after all. Every time I would glace at Rye and his tense demeanor I would give Jacob a pathetic look to which he would shrug his shoulders.

We overheard through other irate passengers the plane would be another 20 minutes. I might have been the most anxious of all of us, well, maybe not more anxious than Rye. I scooted around trying to get comfortable in my seat. Jacob threw his arm around the back of the bench. "Relax, Ness; everything is going to be fine."

I nodded uncomfortably. "I just want to be back in Forks. What a sentence, right?" I tried to laugh.

"I have never been to the States. I am very excited for them," Alina said brightly.

"I've been to just about every part of the world. Seen every wonder, trekked every mile," Rye said abruptly and without looking at Alina. She responded politely, but with noticeably less charm.

"That is very interesting Rye. You are quite fortunate to have seen so many things. But let me ask you, did you ever take to time to really see what you had run across continents to see?"

Rye glanced over at Alina with a perplexed look. Jacob and I were following the vocal sparring like a tennis match.

"What are you talking about? Yes, I've really seen what I've seen. What kind of stupid question is that?" he asked harshly.

"I do not mean to offend you, it is just you often make judgments without seeing the whole picture – so to speak. Sometimes I believe it is not just your legs which are fast."

"Maybe my mind is quicker than yours," Rye snapped and instead of being offended, Alina grinned. I could tell she had thought up a particularly juicy insult, but I was in no mood to hear it, although, I might have to ask her about it later.

"Guys, please, can we take Jake's advice and relax. We have a long, long flight ahead of us." Alina went back to her crossword and Rye sat on his hands and began tapping his foot in frustration. I began to study how well Jacob's and my hands fit together when I heard Alina speak up again in her sing-song voice.

"Oh my goodness! Ántonia, look!" Alina pointed to a group of young adults who looked to be around college age. They were sitting about five gates down from us. At first I didn't notice the reason for Alina's interest in them until I began comparing them to the other young adults in their gate. The skin of four of them glowed just a little bit brighter, and their hair was tousled in an impossibly perfect way. Their teeth gleamed like an Orbit commercial and their sweet scent was beginning to be carried by the ventilation system. I noticed Jacob wrinkle his nose slightly.

"Do you know them, Ántonia?"

"Yes, I believe I have met them once before. Quite a gentle group of vampires. They were all changed at a hostel in Munich while they were traveling abroad and they have never separated."

"What a romantic story. I can tell they have good souls, between the four of them they have only killed half a dozen people and only in dire circumstances and they have been changed for the last forty years," Alina explained.

"Not a terrible batting average," Jacob joked. I nudged him for his inappropriateness.

"You can really tell all that?" Rye barked at her.

"Yes, I can," Alina said quite assuredly back at him.

Rye's eyes suddenly went from manic stress to worry. He ran a hand through his hair as he stared ahead blankly. My mind wandered through the places where Rye's mind might be, but if figured I had a long flight to think about it. I looked over at the group of vampires again. They looked like they could have fit the catalog cover of a University perfectly.

"I've never seen or heard of them before. Why haven't I met them?"

"Not all vampires are as out in the open as your family is. Some prefer to be a little more hidden."

"How many?" I thought back to when Rye had been explaining he had been the prey (and passion) of vampires his whole life. This didn't make sense to me because I had been lead to believe there weren't many out there. Truthfully, I had met many on my trip with Ántonia, but not as many has Rye had.

"Quite a few."

I sighed at Ántonia's ambiguous answer and was about to investigate further, but I withheld my comment when I noticed Ántonia had a strange and bewildered look on her face. Alina noticed as well.

"Ántonia? What is it?" Ántonia had taken a pause from the book she had been pretending to read and slowly breathed in the circulating air.

"We have to leave, now," Ántonia said calmly. She and Alina immediately jumped up and started toward the terminal exit. Jacob, Rye, and I gave each other a look and started walking after them.

"Hey! Do you mind telling us what is going on?" The two did not answer me, but they didn't need to. Half a second after I asked I began to notice what had worried Ántonia. It was an all too familiar scent now. One which was beginning to suffocate my sense of smell and all the directional cues I was used to receiving from it. My head was practically dizzy with the fumes. "Where are they?" I managed to breathe at Ántonia who was a few steps ahead of me.

"Very close." Ántonia breathed back. We made it to the downstairs escalator of the terminal which would bottom out towards the monorail station. There weren't too many people around since it was a very late night flight, but making a scene of any kind in an airport is generally a bad idea.

"Oh no…." I heard Alina pant next to me. Way down at the bottom of the escalator I saw four stocky men and two women with raven hair like Alina's taking their places at the upstairs escalator whose passengers had been filing past us.

"Um…hide," I whispered loudly to Jacob and Rye. I turned my back to the passengers of the upstairs escalator and pretended to fiddle with my bag. Jacob placed an arm around me but he didn't hide his face. He must have been trying to get a good mental picture of our enemies. I remembered the Gypsies had seen Jacob in his human form briefly, but he looked very different then. Also, who knew if these were even the same Gypsies who had attacked us? I suddenly came up with a frightening realization and felt completely stupid I had not put the pieces together sooner.

"Wait! We have to go back and warn them! We can't let them get hurt," I whispered to Alina.

"If we are seen talking with them we risk exposing ourselves and the three of you will be in extreme danger." The three meaning Ántonia, Rye, and I; given we were the ones vulnerable to their blood. I looked to Jacob for some back-up on my argument but he shook his head. I wasn't going to win. The group of happy, self-controlled, polite and pleasant looking vampires was going to be infected. I thought of their individual faces and focused all my energy on them. I focused on how much I wanted to speak to them even though I knew it was impossible. _"Get away!"_ I screamed from within my own head_. "There is a serious danger! Run! Now! Trust me!"_ I still didn't know if my ability could even do such a thing. I prayed it would reach them.

There was really no reason for us to be pretending to hide. Ántonia's stealth was still in full force so the Gypsies could have looked right at us and would not have been able to recognize us. Alina was practically shaking as the Gypsies passed us on the upstairs escalator and tried to cover it by gripping the handle so hard it turned her knuckles white. I gently placed a hand on her shoulder and she grasped it with her own. She was such a trusting creature.

I was choking against the Gypsy scent as they passed us excruciatingly slowly; it was an escalator after all. Thankfully, we made it to the bottom and the five of us hurried as quickly as possible without making a spectacle of ourselves. We climbed onto an empty car of the monorail and let out a collective sigh.

"That was too close," I mumbled. Jacob gave me an unsolicited hug, but it was quite welcome.

"Where are we going now?" Jacob asked into my hair.

"We will have to find a different mode of transportation," Ántonia responded.

"But the only way to get home is by plane," I said naïvely.

"We are not going to the States, my dear."

"Why not?"

"It is not safe."

"It's not safe here either! That much is obvious," I yelled. Jacob held me a little tighter.

"Alina?" Ántonia looked to Alina asking for some explanation.

"I did not think it would begin so soon."

"What?" I half-shouted at her while pulling myself from Jacob's grip. I couldn't shout and be comforted at the same time.

"The plan. The battle plan for lack of a better word…to take down the vampire population," Alina stammered.

"What plan?"

"Gypsies used to only use their powers as defense, now they are being more proactive. The plan is simple. Spread the toxin as far as possible and destroy the enemy when it is weakened."

"And we can't go home, why?"

"There is no telling how far the Gypsies have spread themselves," Alina tried to explain. I was apparently too slow for comprehension tonight. Ántonia was getting annoyed with me so she took over the argument from Alina.

"What she is saying Nessie is the Gypsies have struck. We must take action as well."

"And what would you suggest?" I was completely worked up now. Ántonia managed to remain calm which bothered me even further.

"For now we must find a place of refuge." I was so angry it was difficult for me to form rational thought. We had just left a group of non-violent vampires to become infected with an incurable toxin and all Ántonia and Alina were worried about was hiding themselves. I couldn't believe their selfishness. What was the point of fighting the Gypsies or the Volturi if all the good guys died anyway? Jacob had sensed my rage and put himself between me and Ántonia and Alina. We both knew I wouldn't do anything but I was glad he was there.

The two Romanians were chatting quickly and quietly between one another mostly in Romanian so it was hard for me to catch anything. The monorail stopped and Ántonia led us through the exits and into the parking lot. She found a green mini-van, pulled the door with just the right amount of force, breaking the lock but leaving the door attached, and gestured for all of us to get in. Alina quickly hot-wired the van; is that what it is still called? At any rate she must have had some experience. She was the one to drive. With all of Ántonia's incredible strength it had never occurred to me she might not actually be able to do something as simple yet relatively modern as driving.

We had been on the road for thirty minutes, our escape seemingly successful, as long as we didn't get pulled over. Alina was kind-of a crazy driver for a human and the way she was tensely gripping the wheel didn't reassure me much. I didn't bother to ask where we were going. I knew nothing I said would have any impact. Some leader of a revolution I was.

Another silent thirty minutes passed us by. I hoped Alina knew where she was going because Ántonia wasn't giving her any directions. Just before sunrise we arrived in a small picturesque town which had probably been unchanged since the days of Transylvania. We stopped in front of a large brown brick building which was on one of the main streets of the downtown and sat between a bakery and a boutique. A sign hung from the entrance and read, "_Pensiune de familie._"

"Where are we?" I asked drowsily. The sun was starting to rise.

"Somewhere safe," Alina responded.

Not recognizing the Romanian sign Jacob whispered to me, "What does it say?"

"Boarding house," I responded. Ántonia led us to the front door and tapped three times quite decisively. The door was opened by a handsome young man dressed in slim fitting jeans and a beige colored sweater. He looked very concerned when he saw us.

"What has happened?" He asked in an accusing tone, presumably at Ántonia. I had certainly never been here before.

"Things have changed, Peyton." Peyton, I guess was his name, stepped aside and allowed us in. From the small foyer we could see into the living room where a diverse group of people (and I use the word "people" loosely) was staring back at us. So this where they've been hiding?


	12. You Say You'll Change the Constitution

**Chapter V: You Say You'll Change the Constitution  
**

"What has happened?" the man named Peyton repeated to Ántonia. Apparently, he cared much for her cryptic qualities just about as much as I did. Ántonia walked confidently into the living space to where a young woman immediately scurried out of a comfortable looking arm chair allowing Ántonia to take her place. It was like Ántonia was royalty the way these people were staring at her. Although, it could also have been they were afraid of her as well. From what I could tell, nearly everyone in the room was a vampire. They were all quite chipper for just before sunrise. The few who were not of the undead persuasion I recognized. There was the French werewolf who also competed in national power-lifting tournaments while in her human form. Also, there was a mermaid couple I met at Victoria Falls. I scanned the room for any other acquaintances but there were none. These must be the vampires who had managed to hide. Ántonia settled herself before she began explaining.

"The Gypsies were seen at the airport where we also saw the four Munich vampires. It was a coincidence we were there at the same time. We thought it best to leave and return somewhere safe for the time being."

"That's not what all of us felt," I muttered to myself. Jacob stiffened as he stood next to me. I looked at his face which was wrinkled; probably from the smell.

"Were they releasing the toxin?" Peyton asked.

"Most likely. We did not remain to find out for certain." Everyone in the room looked extremely tense. I couldn't figure out if they were tense because of what Ántonia was saying or because of Ántonia; probably a combination of both. "Regretfully, I must say I am fatigued, I will retire for the evening."

"I have a question," I said loudly as to gain the attention of the room. Every person turned to face me and not with looks of interest. I was the recipient of seven supernaturally threatening glares. Apparently, my outburst had been seen as disrespectful.

"Let me introduce _domnişoară_Renesmee Cullen from America," Ántonia said coolly.

"Are you associated with Carlisle Cullen?" a vampire woman who looked remarkably like Kirsten Dunst (go figure) asked me. I wished Ántonia hadn't introduced me. I didn't want to have the conversation informing every one of my famous relatives right now. I wanted my questions answered.

"Yes. Edward and Bella Cullen are my parents. You all know my story and I'm the one in the dark so could someone please explain to me what all this is?"

"This is a safe house for vampire refugees," the vampire man named Peyton explained to me gently. His face did not harbor the same amount of disdain everyone else's did. "Ántonia set it up many years ago for vampires who would like to remain off the Volturi's radar. I have been running it while she was traveling."

"Why would you need to hide from them?"

"Some were part of rebellions against the Volturi and have been forced to hide for their very lives. Now, many have been run out by the Gypsies. Their toxins were spread in the vicinity of where they were living."

"Are you all looking to overthrow the Volturi?"

Peyton looked over the crowd and to Ántonia briefly. I supposed he was looking for some permission to answer the question. Ántonia nodded slightly. "Put in basic terms, yes. We believe a new order needs to be put in place. Yet, we follow Ántonia's example and wish to do so without taking lives."

"I see." I wanted to ask if they believed I was supposed to be the leader of all this as Ántonia expected of me. I held back because I wasn't certain if I wanted the answer. If it was no it would seem like I had a huge ego, if it was yes, well then…I was not sure if I wanted it be yes.

Ántonia took advantage of my pause and interjected into the conversation again. "Are you quite finished Nessie?"

I was about to say no and ask another of my thousand questions when I felt Jacob place his hands on my shoulders. I looked up at him and he gave me a look as if to say, _hold off before you get yourself in trouble_. I looked back at Ántonia and bowed my head slightly towards her.

"It is late. It would be best if those who need to rest would do so. Alina, could you find somewhere for each of you?"

"Yes Ántonia," Alina said like a humble servant. She hurried over to the Kirsten Dunst-looking vampire and talked quickly with her. All the other creatures started whispering to each other once Ántonia had left the room. I looked over to Jacob and gave him a very pointed look.

"What?" he asked me defensively.

"Why did you stop me? Don't you want to know what's going on?"

"Ness, we do know what's going on. The airport wasn't safe. Ántonia took us somewhere that was."

I huffed my frustration in his direction since I couldn't come up with a good response. A lack of sleep was clearly not good for me or my debate skills. Alina returned to stand in the tiny foyer with our little group.

"Tani says you and I can share her room. Jacob, you can have Cristian's room on the third floor since I do not believe anyone would like to share with a wolf and vice versa."

"Thank you, Alina," Jacob quipped, his nose still wrinkled. You think he'd be used to it by now.

"What about me?" Rye asked her.

Alina shot him a very scary look I was sure she must have rehearsed for vampires while she had been training to kill them. "What about _you_?"

"Do I have a place to stay?"

"Do you sleep?"

"No."

"Then you do not need a bed. You can stay in the common room. No need to impose _you _on anyone."

"Fine," Rye said through gritted teeth. He turned away from us at his super speed and headed out the front door. Alina didn't appear the least bit concerned at the danger which might be involved with him leaving.

"Are you coming, Nessie?" Alina said with quite a bit of irritation in my direction. I had been caught up in their second verbal sparing match and was a little distracted when she spoke to me.

"Uh…I'm just going to say good-night to Jacob."

"Fine." She bolted up the stairs without telling me which floor Tani's room was on. I supposed I would have to hunt.

"Ness, I'm sorry," Jacob whispered once were alone in the foyer.

"You have nothing to apologize for. I'm just worried, and scared, and…I want to go home." Jacob pulled me into a very comforting hug which was definitely needed. His touch made my muscles lose their tension and my mind turned blank. He provided relief I could not possibly receive from any other source.

"Everything is going to be fine," he whispered in my ear. The hot air tickled my neck and I couldn't help flinching a little bit in response. I felt him laugh slightly. Despite all the comfort I was happily receiving I reluctantly whispered back to him,

"Hey, do you mind if I go talk to Rye quickly?" Jacob let me go slightly so he could look me in the eyes. I think I read a bit of disappointment in his.

"Sure…remember to sleep tonight. You're the half-human after all." He turned and headed up the same stair Alina had to search out this Cristian character's room. I had been staring up the stair longer than a normal person should have when I remembered I had just asked to talk to Rye privately. I quickly walked out the front door to seek him out. With his speed he could have run to Paris by now, but instead he was only a half a block down the street sitting on a bench under a lamppost. He looked like was waiting for a late night bus. I don't think Rye would have the patience for public transportation. I walked up to him at my human pace and took a seat next to him. Despite my slow and thoughtful demeanor I spoke quite sharply.

"Ok, that's it. Tell me what is going on with you." Such a tone had become one of the only ways I could speak with him.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

_Oh, please_.

"Yes you do. Ever since we met Alina you have turned into a total spaz whenever you're around her."

"I am not a…spaz." Rye must have been unaccustomed to the word. It was from the 1960's which was not the era from which he picked up his core slang. Now he would have a good idea of what it meant.

"Jacob is worried you're…_attracted_ to her. In the same way my father was attracted to my mother. She was his siren, so to speak. It wasn't always good for her health and it in this case it wouldn't be good for yours either."

"I don't think I can explain it."

"Try," I demanded. Why are men so difficult?

Rye sighed uncomfortably. "You know how vampire girls usually act around me?"

"Stupid, flirty, airheaded…" I could have gone on and on.

"Yeah, that," Rye interrupted. "Well she doesn't act that way,"

"Neither do _I_."

"I know, but that's because you're half vampire, half not."

I rolled my eyes and decided it would be too mean to let him in the others reasons it was true. Rye continued,

"I have never really had a relationship because every girl I meet is usually in love with me or wants to kill me. Alina is human so she's immune to whatever allure or repulsion my scent would have. I don't know how to act around her."

"Does she appeal to your vampiric senses?" I raised my eyebrows hoping he understood my insinuation. I meant, does she smell like your brand of blood, but it sounded too crass for the moment.

"I'm not sure…I guess. When I'm around her I…lose control somewhat. Sometimes it feels like the only way I resist the compulsion to bite her is because I know it would kill me. All the while I feel like my stomach gets tight, my senses get ultra sensitive, and I end up saying some of the stupidest things."

"Yeah, sounds like you're in love."

"She must think I'm out of my mind."

"Yeah…probably."

"Thanks," he said quite sarcastically.

"Rye, listen. This is dangerous territory. More than a human/vampire relationship. She could kill you, probably in more ways than one."

"But if she were a normal human I would be able to kill her. It all evens out this way."

"I suppose. If you can resist the temptation to kill her."

"There's also something else."

"What?"

"Doesn't it bother you she has the ability to know everything about us? At least, everything that has to due with being a vampire."

I suddenly understood Rye's reaction at the airport when Alina explained the life story of the group of vampires from Munich. His worried forehead came from the fear Alina was seeing things Rye did not want her to see. "What are you afraid she'll see?"

"Everything. I have killed people, Ness. It took me a while to accept what I was. I was angry for a long time. What could Alina possibly think of me?"

I sighed. Maybe the whole Gypsy/Vampire thing was going to be the least of their potential problems.

"Rye, I don't really know. Alina has a past she is not proud of either."

"It's kind-of a lot of stuff to sort out before we've even become anything. I don't even know if she likes me."

"I know the feeling. Relationships for vampires are always hopelessly complicated, at least when you start dating out of your chromosome bracket."

Rye smiled back at me. "Speaking of that, I have a question for you. It has nothing to do with me."

"Shoot."

"Are you ever going to give Jacob a break?"

"What?" I said half laughing, half shocked. Who was going to ask me about this next? Ántonia? Peyton? Some other random vampire sitting twenty feet away?

"Come on, the guy worships you and you barely hold his hand. I don't know if I could have his same kind of devotion with anyone, including Alina."

"It's none of your business."

"You're right. I just can't help feeling for the guy."

"Jacob and I have a complicated past. We're on a good path right now, it's slow, but it's good."

"I'll give the guy credit. He's patient. I could never be _that_ patient."

"No, you couldn't," I managed to retort. Rye gave me a sly look and I stood up feeling ready to fall into bed, wherever that bed might be.


	13. You Ask Me For a Contribution

Jacob's POV

**Chapter VI: You Ask Me For a Contribution  
**

Yeah…As if I could sleep…

The scent of a vampire is something you never get used to. The whole "natural-born enemies" thing kind-of prevents it. Okay, so in all fairness I was used to the Cullens. Their scent was almost completely dulled out to me. And then there was Nessie...I liked the way she smelled, but every other bloodsucker out there, not so much. It was particularly difficult to try to sleep in a bed where a vampire had been lying; the smell was just too potent. Why any of these vampires had a bed I didn't understand.

There wasn't any point to trying to sleep, it was practically dawn anyway. I climbed out of the bed and went back down to the common room. I was glad to see Nessie wasn't down there, she needed some rest. There were eight creatures in the room. Five were vampires (including Rye), each with their own version of the too sweet scent that made my stomach churn. The scent of one of the non-vampire females was familiar. Her musky and woodsy scent reminded me of my own pack. She was petite and perfectly groomed with shimmering straight red hair which stopped abruptly at her collarbone. The scent didn't exactly match the package. The two remaining creatures sat on the floor near the hearth of a fireplace. They were both bald; although, even on the woman it seemed to fit her. They were very thin with gangly hands and feet which seemed completely disproportioned. They just smelled like the ocean. I wondered in Michael Phelps was distantly related.

The vampire who had explained things to Nessie walked up to me while I was taking stock of the room. He confidently extended his hand to shake mine. "Hello there, we did not become properly introduced. My name is Peyton McLean."

"Jacob." I shook his hand too quickly to be construed as polite.

"It is good to meet you Jacob. Rye has been telling us about you."

"Has he now?" I gave Rye a harsh look I hadn't used since I was alone with him in the woods outside the Cullen's place. He rolled his eyes and responded,

"Relax Jake, I didn't tell them any secrets. Just that you have some extra chromosomes."

I crossed my arms defensively and gave him a second glare.

A very short female vampire who wore her mousy brown hair up in a messy bun jumped from across the room and stood about three inches away from me. She only came up to my elbows and looked me up and down curiously.

"Do you have a problem?" I half-barked at her. She just continued to size me up.

"What _are_ you exactly?" she whispered to me. She had a vampire allure to her; that was undeniable. But her golden eyes also had something sharp in them I did not like.

"I'm a shifter," I said with little enthusiasm.

"Oh, that is very interesting," she replied with a coy smile. I noticed the red head perk up. The brown haired one who didn't seem to have a sense of personal space bit her lip then let her tongue ride across her teeth as she looked up at me through her long eyelashes. It was in a way I think Nessie would have disliked had she seen it. I took a step back.

"Something the matter?" she asked.

"No, you just stink is all." The girl's sensuous smile dropped a little and she sauntered back to a seat on the sofa. She crossed her legs and looked away from me.

"Don't mind Natalie, Jacob. She flirts with anything that moves," the red-head said. Natalie hissed and I think the entire room may have rolled their eyes at her. The red-head stood up and took the place where Natalie had just been standing. She kept a respectable distance though. She continued, "I'm Marthe. So, you're Nessie's shifter. I heard about you last year when I met both she and Ántonia. I've never met anyone of my kind before. What's it like to be in a pack?"

"It's um…" I didn't know exactly how to describe it. Most of the time it was a pain, but it was also the closest family of brothers and sisters anyone could imagine. I didn't know if I had the heart to explain it to someone who had lived alone for so long. "It's a big responsibility." It was the only lame answer I could come up with.

"It must be nice to have so many people to share it with. The only ones who know about me are my parents." My secret wasn't a secret to single person I cared about. I felt bad this girl had to go through it alone. That must have been tough. Hadn't Nessie mentioned she was a power lifter? She was so small. How did she get away with competing? I also didn't know much about real werewolves and I let my morbid curiosity get the better of me.

"Do you mind if I ask…how?"

"Did I become a werewolf? I was attacked when I was young, around ten. My parents freaked out for a few months when I would randomly disappear for a few days and reappear wandering around some dairy farm in the country. I didn't even know what was going on at the time. I had no memory of my transformation. I went through the whole thing, police, doctors, psychiatrists. Eventually, my parents figured it out by putting a camera in my bedroom. Thankfully, they abruptly ended my psychiatrist visits. They have been amazingly supportive even though they don't understand it."

"And the werewolf who attacked you?"

"Dead. The Volturi. Ántonia called about four months ago saying the Volturi were taking another sweep for werewolves. I came and hid here. Ántonia doesn't believe there are anymore."

"We're all hiding here for one reason or another, Jacob," Peyton said. He had been standing alongside me during Marthe's entire story.

"Yes, let's have another story. Would you like to hear mine?" Natalie said with a great deal of sarcasm in her voice. She continued even though I don't think anyone cared to hear her story. "The Volturi destroyed my family. Now I have to settle for this myriad of misfit magical creatures."

Yeah, that was some story.

"Natalie, please spare us," the only other male vampire said. He must have been Cristian. I also recognized his scent as I had just been lying in his bed.

"Why? It's the truth!" Natalie raged on.

"Why did they destroy your family?" I asked pointedly even though I was only semi-interested.

"Because they knew we were a threat."

"You _were_ a threat. You just didn't hide it very well," Cristian said with a great deal of annoyance in his voice. Natalie hissed once again in his direction this time and then exited out of the room and up the stairs without another word. Some mood swings this girl had.

"So, what exactly was her story?" I asked the room.

"She was part of a coven who wanted to overthrow the Volturi and they weren't very subtle about it. The Volturi killed everyone, but Natalie managed to escape. Lucky us," Cristian explained. The only vampire not to speak yet chastised him immediately.

"Cristian, that is not kind. Natalie has only recently lost her family. She is still trying to cope." Her words reminded me a little of Esme and her eyes were the brightest gold I had ever seen – even brighter than Bella's. I remembered Alina had been speaking with her. Her name was Tani, I think. Although her features were just a few years younger than Esme's she had a greater air of sadness surrounding her. It was difficult to explain.

"She doesn't seem to have your same philosophies about ending the Volturi's reign," I mentioned. Peyton shook his head.

"No, she thinks we are not presenting a strong front. However, we will continue in our effort of non-violence as best we can. Natalie has agreed to fight with us in any way she can."

"Mostly because we are the biggest collection of supernaturals out there anymore, besides the Cullens. Is that not right Kwame?" Cristian asked in the direction of the two creatures that smelled of like the inside of a seashell. Kwame and female just nodded. I felt compelled to get something off my chest.

"Look, Nessie and I don't necessarily want any part of this."

"But you've already been affected by it haven't you? They threatened your entire family seven years ago. Isn't that what started all this?" Marthe asked of me. Nessie and Ántonia must have told her a lot.

"I guess, but we only came to help Ántonia because she was sick, although we didn't know she was sick…it doesn't mean we wanted to overthrow anything."

"Jacob, we're not going to force you to do anything. But do not think for a moment the Volturi will not be a part of your lives. They are a danger to all of us and now with the Gypsies. Can you live with that kind of fear? Can you protect Nessie and your family every second of every hour of every day? We cannot, and we are not willing to live that way anymore. We have to change it," Peyton said clearly. The room was quiet and filled with nothing more than the breathing of the few creatures in the room that needed to do so. And for some god-forsaken reason the smell has lost some of its sting.


	14. Nothing to Kill or Die For

**Chapter VII: Nothing to Kill or Die For  
**

"_C-7."_

"_Miss. G-3."_

"_Miss. C-8."_

"_Hit? How did you know?"_

"_You are not very good at this game." _

_I was slightly offended by this comment. I had always thought I was pretty decent at __Battleship__. I had beaten my uncles a few times at least. Playing with Sasha made me think they had been letting me win all these years. _

"_What are you talking about? I was very strategic in where I placed my ships. Who gets a miss and then says the spot right next to it? Besides my father."_

"_You have a tell," he said timidly, like he was giving away a secret. _

"_A tell? Like in poker?"_

"_You bite your lip every time I would get close to a hit. You give yourself away." Of course. This was something my uncles probably would not have noticed. Sasha had my movements memorized and noticed immediately when they varied. This wasn't good for my strategy. _

"_Good thing we're not playing poker. See, this is why I like __Chutes and Ladders__."_

"_I like how your emotions are easily read. They come right to the surface. It is a refreshing trait in a vampire." _

"_All my thoughts are that way. If I were holding your hand right now I wouldn't be able to keep them in my own head. I wish I could change that."_

"_If your power is related to your father's then it is unlikely it will change, will it not?" This was what everyone assumed, that my power was opposite of my father's. There had not been any precedent set before me, but heredity was the best explanation. _

"_I suppose so. I still would like more control."To touch and be touched without the fear of accidently revealing my innermost secrets, what a luxury that would be. _

"_What about your mother?" he asked. _

"_What about her?" I asked in response. _

"_Perhaps your power is related to hers as well."_

"_I can't protect anyone's mind."_

"_But you cannot read anyone's mind either." I didn't understand how one thing was related to another. I wanted to ask for more clarification, but as I opened my mouth, my voice vanished. And I…_

Was awake again. It was very late in the afternoon, after one. I had slept hard, but I had not slept soundly. Sasha had crept in again, although "crept" was the wrong word, he wasn't completely unwelcome. My subconscious just felt more out of control than normal when he would make an appearance. Perhaps due to lack of sleep or the stress of Gypsy attacks, or worrying about my parents, or the other countless things on the list of supernatural creatures who want to kill me.

I gained control of my brain and pushed all the stressful items into the back somewhere so I could focus on one problem at a time. First, I would need to find out if my parents were in danger. If the Gypsies we had seen at the airport were about to get on the same plane we were, they could be in serious danger or already infected.

I quickly remade the bed I had occupied. Alina was already gone. How could the human be up before the vampire? I threw my hair up into a ponytail and hurried down the stairs back towards the common room. I only walked a few feet when I ran into Peyton. He was now dressed in khakis and a blue fleece pullover and I actually noticed more of his physical traits. He had light brown hair with a matching beard which was well-groomed. He must have trimmed it right before he was turned. His features were gentle and classically handsome and he had a slight Scottish accent which must have faded over the years. He greeted me cheerfully, "Good-morning, Miss Cullen. Did you sleep well?"

"Not really," I said with some unintentional edge to my voice.

"I don't blame you. You had quite an adventurous evening." He managed to remain cheerful and understanding even under my unnecessary sharpness.

"Yeah, something like that. Peyton, you're the one in charge around here, right? Do you mind if I ask you a few questions? Ántonia hasn't been giving me straight answers."

"I will do what I can."

I prepared myself for a very important and potentially devastating question. "How far have the Gypsies spread their toxin? Are my parents in danger?"

"I don't believe so. The Gypsies have only just begun this…attack. And they prefer to stay under the radar. Your family is well aware of them and would probably be able to identify them before they could strike. I doubt they want to take the risk." Some air escaped from my lungs and I silently thanked God for answering my prayers.

"What is going to happen now?" I asked, finally able to think on something else.

"That has yet to be determined. You must admit some action must be taken while their attack is still in its beginning stages."

"I just don't want anyone to get hurt. They are human after all." It wasn't an entirely truthful statement. I hated them for what they did to Sasha, but after spending time with Alina, I had begun to realize they were just as misunderstood as the rest of us.

"I know. You are half-human yourself, aren't you?"

"Yes," I answered quietly. As if being human made any difference in one's capacity for good or evil. I didn't want to get into my history. He probably knew the whole story anyway. I quickly turned the conversation back to him. "Where did you come from?"

"Originally, Edinburgh. Recently, I used to work in Volturra." My face must have been shocked. He continued with a reassuring smile, "Don't worry, I wasn't an evil minion."

I couldn't help smiling back a little.

"I actually worked in the archival library," he said.

"The Volturi have archives?" My face regained its prior shock.

"Yes, they have been working on cataloging their history for the last few years. I think it may have been spurred by you, Miss Cullen. Their ignorance of the half-creatures really shook them up. They don't want to be surprised again."

"Why did you leave?" Furthermore, how could Ántonia trust someone who was part of the Volturi?

"When we got to cataloging the downfall of the Romanian regime we came across some information regarding Ántonia. The Volturi were interested to see if she truly did pass on. There had been rumors she had been sighted in places all over the world. They sent me with a few others to gather information and look for her."

"I'm guessing you found her."

"More like, she found me. I was alone when I came upon her castle. She was more than ready to kill me to maintain her secrecy, but she said she couldn't because I would have a more important purpose. I didn't know exactly what she meant at the time."

I desperately wanted to agree with him since I knew that same feeling quite well, yet I held back.

He continued, "I knew things within the Volturi were changing. It was a very distressed city then as I'm sure it is now. Instead of bringing Ántonia to the Volturi's attention I decided to keep her hidden so she could continue in her work. Unfortunately, there is no way I could return to Volturra and be able to keep something like this a secret so I went on the run. Ántonia promised my safety if I helped her with her cause. She gave me this house to take care of as well as any refugee vampires who may cross my doorstep."

"I'm amazed you are all able to live together so peacefully. Many vampires would say it is impossible."

"It is a struggle at times, but it is possible. Not so unlike humans really. Does that answer all of your questions?"

"I guess so. I have been so frustrated with Ántonia. Did you know we left those vampires at the airport to be infected? We didn't even warn them."

"I know. It was a difficult decision to make."

"It was the wrong decision," I said with some authority in my voice.

"You shouldn't be angry with her. She's using her abilities to protect all of us right now from being found by the Volturi or the Gypsies. She's protecting us from Rye's scent so we don't try to kill him. Some people in household have tried in the past." Peyton smiled as he said this. I guess he meant it as a joke, at least partly. I was able to ignore Rye's scent so easily I didn't realize no one else was reacting to him normally – that is, normal for Rye. And I had grown so used to being under Ántonia's stealth blanket I had forgotten the fear which comes from not having it any longer. I still remained a little bitter however.

"She shouldn't do that. Rye can take care of himself."

"It's all she can do now."

"You think Ántonia is going to die?"

"She is significantly weaker since the last time I saw her and it is such an unnatural state for a vampire. We don't have any way to help her."

I immediately felt guilty about what I had said, but before I could apologize several members of the household began filing into the common room. Ántonia was led in with Alina and Tani at her side and settled her into the armchair she had sat in the previous evening. In the daylight, she looked much weaker then I had ever seen her. Her skin was growing more transparent and close to every movement appeared to be a struggle. Protecting this larger group of vampires must have been taking an awful toll.

"What's going on?" I asked in Peyton's direction.

"We're having a meeting."

"To decide what?"

"The next course of action."


	15. You Say you got a Real Solution

**Chapter VIII: You Say you got a Real Solution **

I was standing against the wall not far from the entrance when just about everyone had filed in. Jacob and Rye were last to enter the room. Jacob was looking entirely exhausted. I wondered if he had slept at all or maybe the scent of all these vampires had kept him up. Rye too looked a little uncomfortable and looked for a place he could stand where he would be out of direct eyesight of Alina. Cowardly vampire.

Jacob leaned against the wall next to me and whispered, "Good-morning. How are you?"

"I think I'm doing a little better than you. Did you sleep at all?"

"Not really. I was up talking to Peyton and everybody else."

"Find out anything good?"

"Mostly learned about their backgrounds. They're all pretty young for vampires, less than 100 years old. Several of these guys are as innocent as you mother when it comes to sucking human blood. In fact, they've kind-of become an underground secret society. Bloodsucker's anonymous. It's how they've kept off the radar so well."

"I wonder if Carlisle knows about this."

"Doubtful. They claim the Volturi don't know of their existence. According to Peyton that's mostly accurate. Did you know Peyton worked in Volturra?"

"Yeah, he just told me."

"He's got a cool history. He was the head of the cotton mill unions during the industrial revolution in Scotland. He was able to get suitable pay and job safety for hundreds of workers. Although, the guy who turned him was the rich owner of the mill who wanted him out of the way. Bad luck on his part." Peyton's history made quite a lot of sense as a preface for the work he was doing now. The meeting had already started while Jacob and I were having our little conversation. Although everyone in the room probably could hear it quite clearly they didn't give any indication they cared. Peyton was speaking when I started paying attention.

"We are all aware the threat the Gypsies pose against us has increased. Despite this, one matter must be made clear, at no point, unless it is life or death, we will not take the life of any human or vampire."

"Not that we could. The Gypsies would kill us in any attempt to kill them," a young female vampire with messy brown hair said in a tone similar to a snotty thirteen-year-olds. I immediately disliked this girl for speaking in such a way to Peyton when he was speaking so seriously. However, he maintained his peaceful demeanor.

"Yes, we know. From the Volturi's lack of involvement regarding the Gypsies we must also assume they are either unaware of them or do not consider them a danger. We must make a plan concerning the Gypsies otherwise any success or losses against the Volturi will be pointless. Our lives will remain in the hands of others."

The bratty brunette from earlier spoke up as soon as Peyton's speech sounded like it had concluded. "Do what they did to us. Capture them individually and force them to destroy their weapons for return of their people."

"Yeah, that will get them to trust us," the vampire I assumed to be Cristian said sarcastically.

"Violence maybe the only language they speak," the brunette said in retaliation.

Peyton came in again trying to be the voice of reason. "Alina, why don't you tell us your opinion?"

Alina sighed and prepared her thoughts before she spoke. She was quite the public speaker. I couldn't wait to see the look on the smug brunette's face change. "Well, I need you all to remember although the Gypsies are not exactly good, they are not evil either. They have been lead to believe all vampires are merciless and bloodthirsty by extremists in the community – and they are frightened. I believe many would welcome news that many vampires want to live in peace."

"Why don't they just ask then instead of dousing us in their blood?" the brunette spouted again. I was really getting tired of her.

"It is complicated," Alina spoke clearly and calmly back to her. The brunette began to open her mouth again with some other spiteful remark when Peyton thankfully interrupted her.

"Ladies, please. I would like some constructive thoughts if that is at all possible."

"What about talking to them?" I said without thinking. Everyone turned around to look at me standing against the wall evidently waiting for me to elaborate. Instinctively I stepped forward and tried to speak as confidently as Alina had. "Alina says they have been given incorrect information. They need to understand things are different now. Not every vampire hunts humans. They are fighting the wrong enemy."

"Talking to them isn't feasible, Miss Cullen. We are all in danger of being infected and the Gypsies are too scared and too angry to trust any of us."

"Yes, but what other option do we have? Like you said, even if we defeat the Volturi the Gypsies will still be a threat. Unless they are brought to an understanding of reality we will never be safe from them." I disliked how easily I could have drifted into explaining my own personal experience with the Gypsies. I didn't want to. I also didn't want to live in danger from them any longer. I couldn't stand the thought of another person being destroyed at their hands. What if it were to be my own family?

The collection of vampire minds had reached an impasse. I felt like I hadn't helped the problem much aside from pointing out the impossible solution. It took a non-vampire to solve the problem.

"I can go."

My head twisted around before my ears recognized the voice of the person who volunteered. Jacob stepped forward without giving me any eye contact and stood alongside me. He looked completely confident and quite serious. I wanted to scream and shake him and tell him he was being completely stupid, but the conversation continued without me.

"Won't they recognize the smell?" the brunette asked with a tone of disgust. If I didn't like her before I really didn't like her now. I always thought Jacob smelled wonderful. Her comment distracted me from speaking up.

"Alina, what might that mean?" Peyton asked. I had to stop this conversation before it got more out of control then it already was. However, I couldn't seem to find an opening.

"It could work. He is not susceptible to the toxin and the Gypsies will not be able to track him or sense what he is. I did not know until he told me."

"When they find out he is speaking on behalf of vampires?"

"He will be in some danger yes, but I would speculate they would not harm him. It is more likely they may try to capture him and demand information" _Excuse me, wouldn't that be harming him? _I thought to myself. "He has the best chance though. They are far less prepared to fight against wolves." _Wolf!_ I thought_. Singular! Jacob is _one_ wolf!_

"Jacob you must do your best to be safe, but you must not hurt anyone. It will not help our cause," Peyton explained.

"That won't be a problem," Jacob said with some cockiness in his voice. How could he dare be overconfident at a moment like this? "I don't know if I'll be able to convince them, but I'll try. I'm Alpha in my pack so I understand the dynamics of power and politics. And I understand their hatred of vampires. I used to feel it myself."

"It would be best if you were to find and speak with my family first. Tell them I sent you. They often expressed their dislike of some of the leader's views as well. They will understand once you have explained everything. They can take you to the upper council and vouch for your trustworthiness." Alina explained and Jacob nodded calmly. My mouth was hanging open. And he still would not look me in the eye.

"Alright, we have some things to prepare for Jacob's departure. Let's have everything ready by three." Everyone nodded and headed out of the room to do whatever they were assigned to do. I always seemed to be out of the loop with these people. I continued to stare at Jacob. My look of shock was turning to anger when he finally looked back at me. I swallowed the lump I my throat and whispered angrily at him,

"What are you thinking?"

"Ness, you guys need me to do this. None of you will be able to get near the Gypsies."

"Do you think the Gypsies are going to let you leave in one piece? They capture and torture vampires! They are not going to look kindly on anyone who associates with them."

"This isn't my first fight."

"Please, spare me the overconfidence." I turned away from him and headed toward the stairs. I was too angry to even look at him.

"Ness…come on," Jacob whined.

"You better catch up with them. You don't want to miss anything," I spat as I gestured to the kitchen where several of the vampires had exited. I turned away from him dramatically and walked up the remainder of the stairs making sure to slam the door of the room I was staying in. I angrily pouted as I sat on the bed. I expected Jacob to walk in and continue this argument. He didn't.


	16. Imagine There's No Heaven

Rye's POV

**Chapter IX: Imagine There's No Heaven  
**

So this might be just about the bravest thing I'd ever done.

From the safety of the common room I was watching Alina and Jacob in the kitchen discussing quicklyand quietly the parameters of the mission he was about to take. He was some courageous kid – that, or stupid. They had been talking for over an hour and neither lost their focus or their intensity the entire time they were conversing. I waited until they were finally done and Jacob had left to go upstairs and hopefully talk some things over with Nessie. She had been hiding in her room the entire time. She wasn't taking to his leaving very well given it was her idea.

Alina was alone in a kitchen which was original to the house and actually had a purpose for this set of vampires. They kept the blood in the fridge. She was flipping through a notebook and didn't acknowledge my presence as I walked into the room at as slow a pace as I could manage. My voice squeaked slightly as I spoke. Not a great way to start.

"Hey."

"Hello," she replied without looking up. She wasn't going to make this easy.

"So, Jacob is up on all the Gypsy info?" It wasn't really a good topic to be making into small talk. Whenever I talked to this girl everything seemed to come out in moron. I must have been getting by on my scent for too long.

"As much as I can give him," she said coldly.

"Is he going to be okay?"

Slightly aggravated, she looked up at me and spoke with a great deal of harshness in her voice. The reality was harsh I supposed. "I don't know, Rye. As okay as any of the rest of us."

"Right…right," I mumbled. It would probably be better for me if I didn't say anything at all.

"Did you want something?" she spat.

"No…no. Well…maybe," I stammered.

"Then please spit it out. I have work to do."

I tried to be nice, but apparently nice wasn't what worked with this girl. And I finally realized how much sense that made. She was a trained mercenary for a highly dangerous group of supernatural humans. Not a dainty superficial teenager like any other girl her age. She wasn't the least bit afraid of me and I wouldn't be afraid of her anymore either.

"Ok, fine. What is your problem?" I asked imitating her biting tone.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Ever since I met you, you have treated me like a dense empty-headed moron and I'm getting tired of it."

"You do realize what you just said is an oxymoron?"

I thought back to what I had said. Damn it, it all comes out in moron. "Don't change the subject," I said quickly.

"Oh yeah, well, what about you? You have treated me like a scheming rat when all I have done is work toward protecting you and your kind." Her accusation may have been true, but I had an excuse.

"It wasn't always intentional."

"What are you talking about?"

I regretted my last statement. I wasn't sure I wanted to reveal this information to her. I was ashamed of it and all its potential implications. However, I figured it might make things less tense if all the facts were out there. It was also possible it might have the exact opposite effect.

"You…that is, your scent…it, I don't know how to put this delicately. It…_attracts_ me. I'm used to it being the other way around."

"I heard about that," she said wryly. "You have the ability to attract female vampires. Sometimes they want to kill you though. Not a very useful ability, is it?" she said, slightly fascinated.

"No, not really," I said anxiously.

"What do you mean, my scent 'attracts' you? Aren't you attracted to all humans?"

"Yes and no. Yours is different. It might be that way only to me."

"Oh…._ohhh_…" she repeated once she fully understood the situation. She didn't look disgusted, just a little worried and maybe overwhelmed. I put my hands in my pockets and kicked one of the kitchen chairs a couple times allowing her to think for a moment.

"I'm surprised you couldn't tell by looking at me," I admitted.

"I have never seen anything like that. Believe me."

"To be honest, I've been pretty afraid of the things you have seen. You must think I'm a bloodthirsty monster."

"Why would I think that?" What a question to ask. I sat down at the table next to her. This was all a lot of stuff I wasn't comfortable admitting to. I always tried my hardest not to even think of it.

"I've killed people, Alina."

"Oh, yes, I know. I have seen it. However, I know you are not bloodthirsty. The people you killed, while unfortunate, it was done while you young and not in control of your abilities or your thirst. And now, you feel guilt for them and you are working to redeem yourself by helping us in this cause. No, I have never thought you were a monster." She understood it all so clearly. I was shocked she didn't have a darker opinion of me.

"From the way you treated me I was sure you were disgusted with me."

"Look, I am not perfect either. It was my fault the Gypsies were able to capture the vampires they tortured. I knew when I saw the vampires they were not evil; and still I did nothing to stop them. What kind monster does that make me?"

"It wasn't fair they manipulated you like that. It wasn't your fault." Control is always an issue for vampires and by leaving her community Alina had sought to regain some control over her life. I was glad I was able to sympathize with her. It was the first moment between us which wasn't tense or uncomfortable. I momentarily thought the only way I might be able to keep this going would be to keep silent.

Alina was staring at her notebook and ran her fingertips over the indentations of her pages and pages of notes. She was completely caught in the middle. By sending Jacob she would be completely betraying the Gypsies, yet to do anything else would be a betrayal to us. Then if Jacob did get hurt, how could she ever face Nessie? Jacob had volunteered but I could see in the very way she her shoulders dropped the worry was weighing on her.

"Rye, do you think we can ever truly be forgiven? The things I have done are so horrible. Even with every risk I take on behalf of vampires my guilt is never alleviated." I'd never seen her so very vulnerable in my presence. In that moment I forgot her scent which had been plaguing me since I met her, I forgot her blood, and I forgot every compulsion in my body which begged me to take her life. I wanted nothing more but to heal her. I wanted her to see what I saw. She was in no way a monster. She was unique and beautiful and had so much goodness in her. I caught her eyes and the genuine regret in them burned into me. I couldn't stand to see it. I tried to smile at her as naturally as I could.

"Hey, _you're_ only human." Thankfully she laughed slightly and even smiled. Her smile was very pretty and I really didn't see it often. I didn't want to go another moment without it.

"That is right. I forget sometimes. A side effect of spending so much time with vampires and werewolves. So, if you are so 'attracted' to my scent then why did you treat me so poorly when you met me?"

"It wasn't you, I felt out of control when I first met you. I didn't trust you or the feelings I was having. I'm sorry." God, there was an understatement. I thought back to the first time I met her in Ántonia's castle. I didn't catch her scent right away because it was blocked by her heritage; however, when I caught a scent of her blood my muscles twitched and ached with such ferocity it was like nothing I'd ever felt before. I wanted her so badly. I don't have an extensive enough of a vocabulary to describe it. At the same time I knew she was a Gypsy and completely off-limits. My instinct for survival was slightly stronger than my instinct to drink her blood. I thanked God for her heritage as it had been the thing which saved her from me, and in some other ways I was still hoping it may have saved me.

"Have you become more accustomed to it?" She fidgeted in her chair slightly.

"I have found ways to control myself better, but I don't think I'll ever be used to it."

"You do know it would kill you, right?"

"Yes, I know. I could never bite you." I never would. I didn't like to think of it now.

"Good. And just for your peace of mind, I could never try to kill you…unless provoked of course."

"Right, I'll remember that." She may have been small, but I believed it. There was an awkward pause which passed between us and we both suddenly became unusually interested in the wood grain of the table.

"So…have you seen the Terra Cotta Warriors of Qin Shi Huang? It is kind-of my dream to see them, growing up in a make-shift army and all."

"Uh…yeah, actually I have."


	17. Don't You Know it's Gonna be All Right?

**Chapter X: Don't You Know it's Gonna be All Right? **

It was about ten to three and Jacob still had not come to see me. My initial anger had basically faded. Although, now it was being replaced with new anger based on the fact he had not come to explain himself further. I cursed myself for running up the stairs and pouting in my room like a spoiled brat. But I was too stubborn to go back now.

I sat on my bed and I wound the discussion through my head a hundred times. What was I thinking telling everyone we could solve our problems by talking them out with the Gypsies? The concept seemed ludicrous now. I could not think of any possible way this could turn out well for Jacob. I would feel panicked at the thought of losing him. Then I would get angry at Jacob all over again for volunteering for something so dangerous.

While in the midst of this cycle the door finally creaked open and Jacob walked through. He had on a red pullover and a new pair of jeans I didn't recognize. His face was worried, but not apologetic. He hadn't changed his mind about leaving.

"Hey," he whispered as he closed the door.

"Hey…" I said back in a raspy voice. "What's going on out there?"

"Alina has been debriefing me on the location and the community. Who I should look for and who I should steer clear of. She wants me to get the attention of the lower-level members first because she believes their minds will be the easiest to change. Plus, they are in greater numbers. Ultimately, I'll have to talk to Nicolae, the leader, but Alina doubts that I will be able to change his mind."

"That is very interesting." I had been staring at my hands while he spoke. I feared looking at him would cause me to cry and I didn't want him to make any decisions because of my crying. I heard him sigh as he sat down next to me. The bed bounced and his weight forced me to lean against him slightly. He tried to take my hand, but I pulled it away before he could grasp it. "Don't…I don't want you to see what I'm thinking."

"Why? What are you thinking, Ness?"

"Didn't I just say I don't want you to see?" A natural laugh fell from his throat. I ignored it and continued, "I'm thinking you're crazy and going into our enemy's nest is a suicide mission. And I don't understand why you would want to do this. It has nothing to do with you."

"Nessie, you remember the day after your birthday when you told me you were going to go traveling the world with Ántonia, and how _not_ okay I was with that?"

"Yes…" I said slowly, knowing where this string of thought was headed.

"Well, this is the same thing."

"It's not the same! I was safe with Ántonia! You're going straight into the lion's den! You're going to be speaking on behalf of vampires to a group of people who want to kill vampires!"

"Ness, you know you are supposed to have a part in all this. This is the part I am supposed to have."

Okay, that was it. I was not about to accept that statement. I stood up and folded my arms tightly. I spoke much louder than before.

"Don't start talking about destiny…you sound just like…_him_." It may have been louder; however, that didn't mean it was very articulate.

"Sasha," Jacob said with a sigh.

"Yeah…Sasha. Excuse me for being a little sensitive, but he is gone now because of them. And the idea of losing someone to them again…it's…unbearable." My voice cracked and I couldn't help sniffling slightly. Jacob stood up and grasped both my shoulders. He stood about a foot away from me. I felt his eyes searching for mine but I kept them away from his.

"I know what I'm doing. I will be careful. I won't break my promise. I will be here for you, always."

I continued to look away from him and his hands dropped to his sides. He must have thought this argument was finished, even though it hadn't had much of a conclusion. He started toward the door. My breathing became faster and I couldn't hold myself back any longer.

"Wait…" I begged.

Jacob turned back around waiting for my reply. I walked up to him slowly, unfolded my arms, and placed one hand on his warm cheek – only a degree warmer than me. "In case I don't get another chance…I just want to try one thing…" This wasn't the first time I had ever kissed him. I remembered kissing him when I was physically around 16. I was so incredibly nervous I giggled through the whole thing. I think this may have hurt Jacob's ego at the time. This time however, was the first time I kissed him and meant it. It was soft, it was slow, and it had been about seven years in the making. I thought back to Rye's advice – how _had_ Jacob been able to stand the wait so long?

There had been so many things about Jacob which had comforted me during my time of mourning for the past six months. Including his smile, his laugh, his general optimism about life, and something else I never anticipated, his touch. His hugs were inviting and enveloped my senses. When he held my hand it warmed my heart and made it feel whole again. He was the only thing which was able to shake the grief from me with any permanence. And now, I knew I couldn't live with this kiss as our last. I felt his hands touch my face and I leaned forward to take as much as I could from the moment. Unfortunately, the kiss distracted my brain enough I forgot to hold my tears back. I tasted them against my lips as Jacob pulled away from me. I never thought he would be the one to pull away.

"Not fair," he whispered to me with a smile.

"Never said I fight fair."

"Yeah, you did always cheat," he accused.

"Please come back. Please don't do anything stupid," I demanded as I clenched the fabric of his sweatshirt.

"Same goes for you." He kept his hands on either side of my face and gently kissed my forehead. My eyes closed as he did this and they were closed when he whispered in my ear, "In case I don't get another chance, I love you, Ness…"

My face instantly felt cold when he removed his hands and my heart instantly felt much colder when I saw him turn away and hurry out the door. I had to make a conscious effort to remember to breathe.

* * *

End of Part II


	18. You Tell Me That It's Evolution

**Part III—Chapter I: You Tell Me That's It's Evolution  
**

For a house of several vampires, a werewolf, and other supernatural bric-a-brac it was surprisingly boring. Generally, no one was allowed to leave. Anyone _could_ leave, but it was understood leaving would place a huge risk on all the boarders and no was willing to face the risk or the wrath which would come from the remaining members of the household. Peyton had a backroom deal with a human butcher who delivered blood to the house so no one even needed to hunt. I didn't know much about the deal, but I understood this butcher dealt mostly with wild game and he was paid exceptionally well and therefore didn't ask questions. The house had a television, but most of the channels were in German and I would easily become impatient with translating the dialogue in my head. There were a few books strewn here and there, but I had either read them or they weren't worth reading. I wasn't bored enough to start reading anything by Danielle Steel.

Lately, I had been spending a lot of my time avoiding the bratty brunette vampire, Natalie. I learned of her difficult losses due to the Volturi and naturally I felt bad about disliking her so adamantly when she was going through a hard time. However, with every snide comment she made in my direction about how I consorted with wolves or how I was only seven years old, it became increasingly difficult to be civil.

Nia and her husband Kwame, mermaid and merman respectively, also had been part of a coven decimated by the Volturi. Most had swum for South America, but this couple wanted to have a hand in the fight – even if it meant joining arms with their natural vampire enemies.

Tani, the sweet blonde vampire who looked just like Kirsten Dunst, had a story which probably troubled me the most. She had lost her mate after the Volturi found him guilty of revealing himself as a vampire. That wasn't the whole story of course. Tani's mate was also a dissenter and wanted to overthrow the Volturi. Truthfully, he did reveal his secret; however, the only person he revealed the secret to was Tani and he had done it in a way almost exactly like my parents. Like my mother, Tani had been human when she fell in love and decided to be turned. However, during the three-day period when the change occurs, the Volturi found and destroyed Tani's mate. When she awoke he was gone. It was a true _Romeo and Juliet_. Her despondence over the loss overpowered her lust for blood even as a newborn and her eyes reflected that. They were possibly the most intense gold I had ever seen. She had never had human blood and she told me her craving for it was miniscule. Her grief over losing her loved one…that was truly unbearable. The stories went on and on. Everyone had suffered some kind of casualty and the desire for revenge was palpable.

The only encouraging and upbeat behavior came from the unlikely source of Alina and Rye. I didn't know who said what or when, but the two of them floated around the house with goofy grins on their faces from the time Alina awoke to the time she had to go to bed again – quite reluctantly I noticed. I might have thought they were cute if I weren't simultaneously sickened by them. It reminded me too much of what I was missing.

Jacob had been gone for two days. There wasn't yet any word he had arrived, or been captured, or anything, and Alina informed me it was doubtful we would get any word about it. Discretion was imperative. As worried as I was for Jacob's safety there was still a part of me which was angry with him. He had done a very brave thing, yes, but at what cost? There was no guarantee they would let him out alive. Even if they did, there was also no guarantee the Volturi wouldn't find him at some point. They had successfully been decimating the lives of any supernatural creature they could get there hands on and I didn't believe for a second they would show Jacob any mercy.

While turning this around in my head for the thousandth time, I desperately felt the need to vocalize this with someone. Alina and Rye were too cheerful to talk about something so serious and everyone else didn't know Jacob very well. It was then I realized that in the two days since Jacob left I hadn't once spoken to Ántonia.

I found her room on the second floor whose prior occupant had been kicked out at the time of our arrival. I wondered if this had been Natalie's room which could have accounted partially for her bad attitude. I knocked gently and even though there was no response I entered anyway. Ántonia was lying on the bed in the room. All this furniture must have come with the house. Why would vampires need it? Her long wispy hair was strewn all over her shoulders and her skin was the strangest shade of gray. There was something unnerving about the way she was breathing. It was a congested and raspy sound; like the breathing of a 30-year smoker. This would have been unsettling sound for anyone to make but it was especially worrying because Ántonia didn't need to breathe.

I closed the door behind me and sat in a chair adjacent to her bed. The morning light was coming in from the windows of one side of the room. It made her sparkle slightly, but it was strangely dimmer. I jumped when I heard her speak.

"Hello, my dear." She opened her eyes, now considerably dark, and looked over at me. I was reminded of how much I loved her when I had first met her. She had been my inspiration and role model. Recent events had clouded my perspective of her.

"How are you feeling?"

"Not quite myself today."

"You're not missing anything. It's tough being hidden again, but familiar too. It reminds me of my childhood only it wasn't quite this tense." I was making idle chit-chat and Ántonia could tell.

"You must have needed something, my dear. Otherwise you would not have come."

"Ántonia, I am worried about you. I want you to be well again." Ántonia stared at me blankly and did not say anything. I had to look away suddenly feeling very self-conscious about how empty my words must have sounded. I felt guilty about the way I had treated her for the last week, yet I still felt justified in my anger. I wasn't ready to apologize and I still had the nerve to ask for her guidance. "I'm worried about Jacob. I can't stop thinking about it."

"Jacob will be fine. He is bright and a good fighter," she said in her stoic way while she looked away from me. I was glad to escape her gaze.

"Yeah, maybe when he's fighting _one_ vampire. Not an army of Gypsies or a brigade of Italian vampires."

"Jacob needs your confidence, my dear. He cannot succeed without it."

"I'll try," I lied. I didn't know how anyone could have confidence in this plan. It seemed impossible to expect any kind of peaceful acts would be effective in such a violent climate. Ántonia was looking towards the window. She looked so defeated, not only in the sense that our enemies were gaining the advantage, but also in the sense she was losing a personal battle against this illness. Perhaps she needed my confidence as well. "You know, I haven't told you this but I want you to know, I think what's happening is amazing. You and the Volturi have been doing the same thing these last few years, only the opposite. They were looking for any threat no matter how great or small; destroying their enemies before they could get any kind of upper hand. And you have been looking for any and all good and decent supernatural creatures; trying to protect them like an endangered species."

"Many of them are endangered, my dear."

"Why hasn't the Volturi taken care of the Gypsies?" Yes, the toxin was dangerous but it was a recent development. The Volturi could have ended the Gypsies easily while they were still unorganized.

"Another flaw in their rule. The Italians are arrogant. Granted, they were humbled greatly when they learned of your existence, but they believe to consider humans a threat is absurd." There was another pause as Ántonia turned her head slowly to look deeply into my brown eyes which I had inherited from my human mother. Her eyes were so dark I highly considered making a trip to the kitchen. She did not look strung out by hunger however and it didn't seem like any amount of blood human or otherwise could help her. My anger towards Ántonia was lost. There was no room for anger anymore, there might not be anymore time.

"Do you ever think of Sasha?" she whispered to me through her raspy breathing. She had never mentioned Sasha to me since I informed her of his death the last time I was in Romania. I never once wrote to ask how she was coping. Ántonia might have been a strong creature, but she was in no way a solitary one. I had been a terrible friend to her. Just another relationship I failed at. I swallowed the lump in my throat before I spoke.

"I dream about him." Sasha may have been my boyfriend but he had been Ántonia's best friend for over a thousand years. I couldn't imagine managing with such a loss. I was impressed Ántonia did not seem to resent me regarding Sasha's death, for had he never come with me to Forks he never would have died. Perhaps this is why she had thrown herself into her work so recklessly. She had to make sure no more lives were lost needlessly at the hands of the Gypsies or anyone else.

"What about?"

"Oh, different things. Memories mostly, although they always have a strange quality to them, like he's trying to tell me something but I never quite pick up on it. I'm not very perceptive I guess."

"What have you dreamt of recently?"

"Well, we were playing a game. I dream about us playing games a lot actually. This time I lost because I wasn't able to hide my emotions from my face. Then we talked about my ability and how it is the same in that I can't control what people see all the time. Then we talked about how it relates to my parents and something about my mother, but I didn't understand."

"Perhaps this dream was trying to tell you how your power has grown."

"Grown? How? My power isn't in control any more than it ever has been."

"Think, my dear, your ability has nothing to do with control. You can project your thoughts because your father can read them. You lose control of your thoughts because your mother can protect them."

"I never thought of it that way."

"Have you not wondered why it is always Sasha who haunts your dreams? While you sleep your focus is lost, your power takes over, and your hidden thoughts enter your mind." She was right. I did have to work hard to keep Sasha from my mind. It was when I was distracted he would appear. Yet, dreams are supposed to highlight the thoughts moving through one's subconscious.

"Isn't that true of all dreams?"

"Perhaps, but why do you only dream of Sasha? He is the one person you must put a conscious effort into putting from your mind." She was right again.

"I suppose."

"If it is in fact a power manifesting itself there is only one way of knowing for certain."

"Do you think I'll be able to loosen someone else's mental blocks?" If I didn't have the ability to do that then it would be an ability at all. I'd just be like any other person dealing with grief.

"Maybe, my dear, maybe."

I pondered this momentarily and Ántonia turned her head to look at the ceiling. I knew I hadn't yet apologized, but I didn't think it was necessary anymore. Even in this weakened state she was still strong, she was still hopeful, and she still knew everything before I did. She would always be a mentor to me. I was suddenly struck with the thought of losing her to this disease.

"Ántonia, how are you really?"

"It is strange," she breathed, "I almost feel like I could sleep again…something so human…" Human? Sleep was one of the few noticeable things which made me human. It was bizarre to think of Ántonia needing it. She continued, "My abilities are not what they were. Sometimes I forget my concentration which poses a great risk to all of us."

"Don't worry," I attempted to say with as much confidence as she once had. "Just remember, by name alone you are the most feared and powerful vampire in existence. Nothing can ever change that." Her eyes were closed and her hands folded over her stomach. Anyone who had never seen her before would have certainly thought she was a corpse aside from the turned up corners of her mouth.


	19. For People with Minds that Hate

Jacob's POV

**Chapter II: For People With Minds that Hate  
**

Okay, so Alina definitely did not give me enough information before sending me on this…mission. It was late, and after about two days of running, I had arrived in Gypsy-town, Romania. It had some Romanian name but having only taken two years of Spanish I had a hard time remembering the ancient European language. It wasn't anything like I'd expected and it certainly did not match its olden-sounding name…whatever it was.

The community wasn't exactly an official town, it was way out in the boonies, far from any kind of civilization, but for a makeshift village it was pretty nice. It looked like most everyone was residing in a mobile home, but they were those really nice looking ones with bright white siding, large windows, and contrasting shutters. Many of them were bigger than my house. The green space around each house was nicely groomed and there were plenty of flowers planted in small gardens near the front doors. Nothing about this place screamed or even whispered "vampire hunters." I didn't understand where they could have kept captured vampires or developed the vampire repellent so I figured they must have some well-guarded locations elsewhere. Something Alina also had not informed me of. The place I was looking for was somewhere among these idyllic rows of houses.

Although I didn't run into a soul I couldn't help keeping myself alert to danger. The smell of Gypsies was noticeable but it didn't bother me the way it bothered the vampires, at least not in the way Nessie had described it to me. I was thankful for that and hoped the feeling would be mutual once I started talking to them. After some additional wandering I came across a home Alina had described to me with some specific details. This included rose bushes under two large bay windows, siding painted white, with a large metal "P" attached to the exterior above the mailbox. Reluctant to reduce my strength I phased back into my human form with a new satchel attached to my leg. Tani had actually constructed it for me after I talked to them the first night at the boarding house. They had asked me the specifics of phasing and I had mentioned the difficulty of saving my clothes. It was a simple leather bag with a zipper close and large Velcro straps which wrapped firmly around my leg. For all intents and purposes it was a fanny pack, but that just sounded completely not cool. I was thankful to them for it though. It worked perfectly. Those vampires could do stuff like that, things people who sleep would never had time to do.

Fully dressed and increasingly nervous I approached the front door as Alina had instructed me to do and knocked slowly three times. At first there was no response and I credited this to the late hour. I really didn't want to wait till morning when my arrival would be more noticeable. Just when I was about to knock a second time a dim light shone from one of the bay windows and I heard someone scurrying behind the door. A young girl, around thirteen I guessed, who had Alina's raven-colored hair, opened the door just a crack. I was sure to speak first.

"Hey there. My name is Jacob. Are your parents home?" Oh god, I must have sounded so creepy.

"Why?"

"I need to speak with them. It is very important."

"What are you doing here so late?" she asked sharply. I knew where she had learned that attitude from.

"Is Alina your sister?" I asked with the same abruptness.

"She was."

"I have been traveling with her for a while now. Please, let me talk to your parents." The girl eyed me up and down quite intensely. I began to wonder what ability her Gypsy blood had given her. Hopefully it wasn't laser vision or telekinesis. The girl held the door tightly and did not look like she was going to budge without some more assurance. "What is your power?"

"What?" the girl said with a little fascination in her voice.

"Your sister can identify vampires. And you know she would never send one here. What can you do?"

"I can hear…really well. It makes hard to sleep." I felt bad my knocking had woken the little girl up, but at the same time quite thankful. Alina must have known this all along. The girl kept her body behind the door as she opened it. A wise move on her part, not that she was in danger from me. I walked into the tiled entryway and she closed the door behind me locking the deadbolt along with several other locks. No wonder it took so long to open the door. "Please, wait here."

I looked around the place. It was nice – clean and bright and comfortable. From what I could see and smell I didn't believe there was anyone else living here aside from Alina's parents and her sister. Her brothers were all older and they may have already moved into their own places. I glanced over a few photos which were sitting on an end table. Alina was not represented in any of them. I knew Alina was basically ostracized from the community now, but did that also mean her family would remove her from their lives? It was such a cruel response.

Two strong and worried looking adults entered the area I was standing in from the hallway followed by the sassy little girl I had just met. Without a word of explanation or anger the mother said to me boldly, "Our daughter tells us you have seen Alina."

"Yes, I've been with her for the past week," I said quickly. I didn't want them to think I was here to deliver bad news.

"How is she? What has happened to her?"

"She's alive. She's safe." They both appeared relieved at my response.

"We knew she would send someone," the mother said, her voice far more relaxed.

"It's not just for her sake I'm here. I have a great deal to talk to you about. Could we sit down?" The mother nodded and the two of them lead me to an eating area in the kitchen. The little girl leaned against the countertop by the kitchen sink instead of joining us.

"Please, tell us what Alina has been doing."

"She's…uh…she's been living with a group of vampires…trying to help their cause…"

"Oh dear Lord…"

"She's not fighting you…that's what I've come here to warn you about…this isn't coming out right." The mother gently patted my arm and gave me a moment to get my bearings. She must have been a truly wonderful mother to find a way to comfort me when I was delivering such shocking news. There was nothing about her or her husband or the other daughter standing in the room which looked the least bit evil or twisted. I read nothing but fear and genuine concern in their eyes. They hadn't abandoned their daughter, at least not personally. Despite the warm feeling I got from the two of them, the community they were a part of had morphed into something evil. It was then I trusted what Alina had believed. It wasn't the individuals who were responsible for this warped situation. It was fear and the person who had manipulated the fear who should be held accountable. Mob mentality was extremely dangerous.

"Please, Jacob. Explain what has happened to our daughter."


	20. It Isn't Hard to Do

Jacob's POV

**Chapter II: It Isn't Hard to Do  
**

Okay, so Alina definitely did not give me enough information before sending me on this…mission. It was late, and after about two days of running, I had arrived in Gypsy-town, Romania. It had some Romanian name but having only taken two years of Spanish I had a hard time remembering the ancient European language. It wasn't anything like I'd expected and it certainly did not match its olden-sounding name…whatever it was.

The community wasn't exactly an official town, it was way out in the boonies, far from any kind of civilization, but for a makeshift village it was pretty nice. It looked like most everyone was residing in a mobile home, but they were those really nice looking ones with bright white siding, large windows, and contrasting shutters. Many of them were bigger than my house. The green space around each house was nicely groomed and there were plenty of flowers planted in small gardens near the front doors. Nothing about this place screamed or even whispered "vampire hunters." I didn't understand where they could have kept captured vampires or developed the vampire repellent so I figured they must have some well-guarded locations elsewhere. Something Alina also had not informed me of. The place I was looking for was somewhere among these idyllic rows of houses.

Although I didn't run into a soul I couldn't help keeping myself alert to danger. The smell of Gypsies was noticeable but it didn't bother me the way it bothered the vampires, at least not in the way Nessie had described it to me. I was thankful for that and hoped the feeling would be mutual once I started talking to them. After some additional wandering I came across a home Alina had described to me with some specific details. This included rose bushes under two large bay windows, siding painted white, with a large metal "P" attached to the exterior above the mailbox. Reluctant to reduce my strength I phased back into my human form with a new satchel attached to my leg. Tani had actually constructed it for me after I talked to them the first night at the boarding house. They had asked me the specifics of phasing and I had mentioned the difficulty of saving my clothes. It was a simple leather bag with a zipper close and large Velcro straps which wrapped firmly around my leg. For all intents and purposes it was a fanny pack, but that just sounded completely not cool. I was thankful to them for it though. It worked perfectly. Those vampires could do stuff like that, things people who sleep would never had time to do.

Fully dressed and increasingly nervous I approached the front door as Alina had instructed me to do and knocked slowly three times. At first there was no response and I credited this to the late hour. I really didn't want to wait till morning when my arrival would be more noticeable. Just when I was about to knock a second time a dim light shone from one of the bay windows and I heard someone scurrying behind the door. A young girl, around thirteen I guessed, who had Alina's raven-colored hair, opened the door just a crack. I was sure to speak first.

"Hey there. My name is Jacob. Are your parents home?" Oh god, I must have sounded so creepy.

"Why?"

"I need to speak with them. It is very important."

"What are you doing here so late?" she asked sharply. I knew where she had learned that attitude from.

"Is Alina your sister?" I asked with the same abruptness.

"She was."

"I have been traveling with her for a while now. Please, let me talk to your parents." The girl eyed me up and down quite intensely. I began to wonder what ability her Gypsy blood had given her. Hopefully it wasn't laser vision or telekinesis. The girl held the door tightly and did not look like she was going to budge without some more assurance. "What is your power?"

"What?" the girl said with a little fascination in her voice.

"Your sister can identify vampires. And you know she would never send one here. What can you do?"

"I can hear…really well. It makes hard to sleep." I felt bad my knocking had woken the little girl up, but at the same time quite thankful. Alina must have known this all along. The girl kept her body behind the door as she opened it. A wise move on her part, not that she was in danger from me. I walked into the tiled entryway and she closed the door behind me locking the deadbolt along with several other locks. No wonder it took so long to open the door. "Please, wait here."

I looked around the place. It was nice – clean and bright and comfortable. From what I could see and smell I didn't believe there was anyone else living here aside from Alina's parents and her sister. Her brothers were all older and they may have already moved into their own places. I glanced over a few photos which were sitting on an end table. Alina was not represented in any of them. I knew Alina was basically ostracized from the community now, but did that also mean her family would remove her from their lives? It was such a cruel response.

Two strong and worried looking adults entered the area I was standing in from the hallway followed by the sassy little girl I had just met. Without a word of explanation or anger the mother said to me boldly, "Our daughter tells us you have seen Alina."

"Yes, I've been with her for the past week," I said quickly. I didn't want them to think I was here to deliver bad news.

"How is she? What has happened to her?"

"She's alive. She's safe." They both appeared relieved at my response.

"We knew she would send someone," the mother said, her voice far more relaxed.

"It's not just for her sake I'm here. I have a great deal to talk to you about. Could we sit down?" The mother nodded and the two of them lead me to an eating area in the kitchen. The little girl leaned against the countertop by the kitchen sink instead of joining us.

"Please, tell us what Alina has been doing."

"She's…uh…she's been living with a group of vampires…trying to help their cause…"

"Oh dear Lord…"

"She's not fighting you…that's what I've come here to warn you about…this isn't coming out right." The mother gently patted my arm and gave me a moment to get my bearings. She must have been a truly wonderful mother to find a way to comfort me when I was delivering such shocking news. There was nothing about her or her husband or the other daughter standing in the room which looked the least bit evil or twisted. I read nothing but fear and genuine concern in their eyes. They hadn't abandoned their daughter, at least not personally. Despite the warm feeling I got from the two of them, the community they were a part of had morphed into something evil. It was then I trusted what Alina had believed. It wasn't the individuals who were responsible for this warped situation. It was fear and the person who had manipulated the fear who should be held accountable. Mob mentality was extremely dangerous.

"Please, Jacob. Explain what has happened to our daughter."


	21. We all Want to Change Your Head

**Chapter IV: We all want to Change your Head **

There wasn't much going on in the boarding house, yet at the same time the stress was obvious. Another day had gone by and we still hadn't had a word from Jacob, and I could tell it was difficult for all to sit around and do nothing. Each hour they would run through plans and go over likely scenarios if the Gypsies attacked or if the Volturi were to find us. Unfortunately, every conversation did not have much of a resolution mostly due to the lack of information from Jacob. I threw in my two cents from time to time but generally I stayed out of the arguments and spent my time with Ántonia. Every hour her face would become more strained in an effort to keep her stealth power alive. I tried to grant her some relief by reading to her or talking with her, although she lacked the strength to match my enthusiasm. Which is why I was surprised when she made a new request.

"My dear, I would like to go downstairs today. I will be needed."

"Are you sure? Most of the time they're just talking about all the stuff we can't do until Jake gets back. It's really not all that interesting."

"Trust me, my dear. I will be needed."

I knew arguing with Ántonia was usually pointless. So I stood by her side as she carefully pulled herself up from the bed and lead her downstairs into the main living room where she sat in the most comfortable armchair. I was happy to see her up and about even if she was still lacking the luster she once exuded.

As I had predicted there wasn't much excitement going on. I sat in a chair adjacent to Ántonia and read (and yes, I had been driven to Danielle Steel). I tried my best to ignore Natalie's ranting and Rye and Alina's goo-goo eyes toward each other. In fact, I was failing to ignore them as they sat on the couch when Ántonia asked Rye to sit beside her. He naturally obeyed and kneeled on the floor, leaning his elbows onto her armrest.

"How are you, Rye?" Ántonia asked calmly.

"I'm doing fine. How are you feeling?"

"Not well. I need to tell you something, or actually, I need to apologize."

"Apologize for what, Ántonia?" Rye's look of confusion matched both mine and Alina's. What had Ántonia ever done to Rye?

"I tried to protect you; however, in my weakened state I have not been able to do so."

"Ántonia, I haven't been in any danger." Ántonia shook her head ominously. What danger could there be? Surely we had all been extremely careful. Before I could think on it a moment longer I felt my muscles tighten instinctively. I could see Rye's had as well. As if on cue, Peyton, Natalie, Cristian, and Tani appeared suddenly in the living room with the three non-vampires coming in close behind them. Each had their eyes on the front door. Ántonia gestured toward it as well and Rye nervously looked over. There was something in the air – something sweet and icy.

"I am so sorry, to all of you." Ántonia whispered beside me. Three breathless seconds passed until an abrupt and loud knock pounded against the large front door. Everyone had a look of deep concentration, except perhaps Rye who was still mulling over Ántonia's strange apology. Peyton bravely stepped forward and opened the door. Standing behind it was possibly the most mutually innocent and frightening-looking being I had ever known. Jane, along with her brother Alec and their counterparts Demetri and Felix, stood in the threshold – their dark crimson eyes blazing. She immediately recognized Peyton, who once lived and worked with the Volturi, and gave him a look of sadistic delight.

"Peyton McLean! It has been such a long time! And what is all this?" She gestured to the room which held ten tense supernatural creatures; all of which had had negative run-ins with the Volturi.

"Jane, it has been a long time," Peyton replied with his trademark hospitality. Jane and the others didn't seem to notice Peyton never answered the question. I supposed it didn't need to be answered; the situation was plainly obvious. She walked in without being invited and her twin and the other members of the Volturi guard followed behind her. I suddenly wished the rule about vampires being unable to enter a house uninvited was true.

"My brother, Demetri, Felix, and I were searching for _your _kind…" She shot a menacing look at Marthe. She growled back in a way which must have been similar to how it would sound if she were in wolf form. "When I smelled something irresistible." Her gaze became excited and automatically turned toward Rye. He had a scent which desperately attracted female vampires; sometimes they become infatuated with him but other times they just wanted to kill him. Given Jane's personality, it probably meant she wanted to kill him. "The scent faded in and out but it made me feel…_compelled_ to follow it. Luckily, I had Demetri with me. It made it quite simple." Stupid tracker. I knew Ántonia had been struggling lately with keeping her ability focused. I looked over to her and there was now guilt pouring from her dark and tired eyes. Her loss of concentration, even for a few moments, was enough to attract our enemies. Luckily, it was only four of them and truthfully they were outrageously outnumbered, yet they did not seem shaken by this. "And who knew we would find such a nest as this? Vampires, werewolves, mermaids, humans even. And, oh my word…little Renesmee Cullen. All grown up…" She said the last three words slowly. I was unsure if they would recognize me. I wished they hadn't. "Aro will be so excited to see _you_ again. And with a group of rebels? It is too bad. Given up on the pacifist preaching's of Carlisle have you?"

"Hardly," I scoffed. With some possibly reckless bravery Rye stepped forward and purposefully put himself between Jane and Alina. Alina didn't look the least bit afraid however. She never did.

"You may have noticed you are extremely outnumbered," Rye taunted.

"Yes well, do not overestimate yourselves. Even your speed cannot outrun my ability."

"Then let's get it over with. I'll be glad for the chase. I haven't had a good run in weeks." I couldn't believe his confidence and I desperately wished he would stop antagonizing her. I had seen what her power could do.

"Certainly." A horrible and insidious grin crossed Jane's face and suddenly Rye was on the ground writhing in pain. I heard Alina scream and saw Tani pull Alina back and behind her. Was she going to throw herself between Rye and Jane? Their relationship must have grown an exponential amount in the past few days. Everyone in the room looked just about as frightened as Alina except for Ántonia. She looked pained and saddened. Her plans were falling apart around her.

"Stop this, now! None of us have broken the law here!" I heard Peyton yell behind me. It was some kind of truth aside from the insubordination and treason. Rye's screaming stopped so Jane must have ended her torture as well. However, Rye's screams were instantly replaced with Peyton's. She must have been trying to showcase how powerful she really was. I turned toward the male members of the Volturi guard who laughed with delight at Jane's game. I don't think she had ever had such free reign with her ability. None of her masters were here to restrain her and she looked giddy with freedom.

"Not breaking the law are you? Then why are you building an army of misfit magical creatures Peyton? After all we did for you in Volturra. Alec, I have heard enough from him. " Peyton tried to speak again but when he opened his mouth his voice was lost. Alec had turned him to a mute. Jane gave him another few seconds of torture to think about what he had done. It was unbearable to watch him squirm in pain and visibly screaming without hearing his voice. Jane turned back to Rye who was still recovering from the last blow. She grabbed his chin in her hand and gripped it like a vice. "Killing you will have brought me more joy then I will have felt in years, you should be quite proud."

Jane unleashed her ability once more upon Rye and this time some of the vampires did not wish to stand idly by. Natalie threw herself at Alec except at the last second Alec made her temporarily blind and sent her crashing into the staircase. Peyton and Tani were at Natalie's side in the next second trying to stabilize her as she thrashed about under Jane's control. Felix eyed up Marthe, who was still in her human form and so very small, practically begging her to attack. I had forgotten to ask if she could heal like Jacob could. Although she was growling continuously she didn't concede to his fight and neither did Kwame or Nia. It was part of their plan, no violence. But what was the alternative? Were we to let ourselves be killed? My mind was racing. This was wrong. There had to be something else. This couldn't be the end of it…and then I remembered.

I flew beside Ántonia and lifted her so she was sitting up and hoped to God the four Volturi guards didn't notice what I was doing. They seemed to be distracted enough with their games. I whispered frantically, "Ántonia, you have to do something."

She shook her head weakly. "I do not think I can."

"You must! You can make them forget."

Ántonia shook her head again.

"Yes, you can. Sasha gave you his ability when he made you forget your age. But he also made you forget the ability. You've never used it because you didn't know you had it!" Some enlightenment entered Ántonia's eyes.

"I do not know..." she whispered back to me.

"Maybe I can help." I took Ántonia's hand and tried frantically to relax my mind with all the commotion occurring around me. I had only done this in my dreams and I had never done it purposefully so there was no guarantee what I was trying would work at all. I thought about the darkness of my subconscious and the way it felt when I would fade into it during my dreams – when I would see Sasha. Before I knew it something had unlatched within my mind. It felt like a comforting physical release; like the feeling one has when their fist has been clenched for a long time and they can suddenly relax their hand. I expected to see Sasha show his sparkling eyes at me and I did see him, but he was in a situation unfamiliar to me. I saw Ántonia and Sasha standing in front of a mirror. She looked exactly the same as the first time I had seen her, before she had become sick. However, she looked sad as she stared at herself in the mirror. I jumped slightly when I heard her speak from within the memory,

"_I know it is vain, but I see myself changing. I suppose even vampires are subjected to some types of aging."_

"_Oh, Ántonia, you know you are still one of the most beautiful creatures alive."_

I jumped again when I heard Sasha's voice. Ántonia remembered him more clearly then I did. She undoubtedly had a million more memories of his than I did as well. I regretted not asking her about him once more.

"_That is kind of you to say. I have always disliked the way they look, those Italians – like paper. I hoped it would not be my future."_

"_Perhaps I can help." _

Sasha moved beside her and placed both hands on her face. It reminded me of the last time I had spoken with Sasha when he had suggested erasing my memories. He closed his eyes and I felt what Ántonia felt as the knowledge of her age was tucked away somewhere, seemingly never to be thought of again, along with the knowledge of the very moment which gave her the power. Both Ántonia and I gasped at the recollection of the memory.

The sensation was strange and made me feel…powerful. There wasn't a thought in Ántonia's head I didn't have the power to unlock and this realization frightened me. I knew I had brought forth what Ántonia needed to see and I began to pull away, but she held onto my hand even more tightly. I didn't know she had that much strength left in her. I felt her thoughts change and a new wave of memories flooded into me.

I was outside in a large square somewhere in Europe. The streets were covered in cobblestones and there were dark brick buildings everywhere. My mind moved across the square, down an alley which ended in a brick wall, and looked toward the ground where a small man-hole cover appeared and disappeared just as quickly. I had the sensation of dropping into the hole and landing in a dimly lit hallway…before I could see what the hallway lead to, Ántonia's hand dropped from mine and she slumped back into her chair. I was dizzy from the experience and concentrated on sorting out what I had seen. Ántonia looked exhausted but exhilarated at the same time. Part of her ability was a hunger for more power, an aspect she tried desperately not to aggravate, but she had just rediscovered a power and the thrill must have given her a rush of adrenaline – or whatever the vampire venom equivalent of adrenaline is.

She stood up on her own power and looked more fearsome than I had ever seen her. She confidently and silently walked away from me and towards Jane. This distracted Jane from her torture of Rye and the others and thankfully the screaming ended. Jane gave Ántonia a smug look and lightly chuckled at the act of defiance.

"I do not believe we have formally met?"

"I am Ántonia Stoichita." All four of the wicked vampire's jaws dropped slightly. They had just hit the supernatural jackpot. I think Jane was salivating at the prospect of the award Aro would give her for coming across such a find.

"So this is the famous Ántonia Stoichita. Alive, although you do not appear to have aged well."

Enigmatic as ever, Ántonia did not bother to justify her with a response. She bowed her head slowly and respectfully as if to acknowledge the beginning of a duel. Jane just laughed again and let her tongue run over her teeth. She wanted to fully enjoy destroying the greatest vampire on earth.

I saw Ántonia close her eyes and take a physiologically unnecessary breath. Jane bit her lip in wild anticipation and squinted her eyes slightly, releasing the full horror of her ability. In an immeasurable fraction of a second Ántonia had moved within an inch of Jane and had her hands placed gently on Jane's face. The only other thing I had seen move that fast was Rye...of course, she had acquired his talents as well. The male guards immediately responded to her and stopped their antagonizing of the other boarders. Ántonia continued to stand relaxed and quiet. However, Jane's face went through a number of different phases. Firstly, there was some confusion. Her ability was not taking effect. Then her eyes and forehead wrinkled as they took an even more intense attempt at emitting her torment on Ántonia. Suddenly her face became panicked and her hands flew to her forehead and temples. She gasped and her eyes darted frantically back and forth. She looked horrified and frightened and more…_human_ than I had ever seen her.

Rye and the others who were tortured were beginning to recover and a few stood up and bravely stepped towards Jane to get a better sense of what was going on. Jane's face was so terrified I almost wanted to reach out and console her, but only almost. She was forgetting her ability, how to use it, when to use it, and why to even use it at all. Jane's hands dropped from her forehead and her nervous breathing stopped. Her eyes glazed over and her head actually lolled forward in a half circle making a few people jump back. I wondered if Ántonia planned to leave any of her memory behind. Demetri, Alec, and Felix all looked confused and concerned over what was happening since it appeared nothing was happening. The two were really just standing there and it had truly only been seconds even though time seemed to move incredibly slowly. Feeling impatient the three Volturi guards launched themselves at Ántonia. She instinctively threw one hand over Demetri's face and the other over Alec's stopping them in their stride. Only a few seconds later the two of them passed through the same strange facial expressions Jane had just experienced. Felix took a few cowardly steps back, but he wasn't fast enough. The moment she had finished with Alec and Demetri her hand was on Felix's face and his expression melted into a blank stare.

After another moment I saw Ántonia's eyes open again. She and the four Volturi guards stood very still. Jane, Alec, Felix, and Demetri began to look a little disorientated. I calmly stepped forward and spoke to them slowly and carefully, "Are you alright?"

"I am fine." Jane said quite sweetly. The tone of her voice actually matched her size again, small and youthful.

"And you three?" I asked of the men.

"I am fine."

"Yes, quite well."

"Yes." The three men nodded. Jane looked to me with gentle interest.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Nessie, you're Jane right?"

"Yes I am. What is going on here?"

"You are with friends, you can trust us. We do not wish to harm you, and you do not wish to harm us."

"Oh, that is good." Then she smiled. Jane, one of the highest guards of the Volturi and perhaps the most sadistic of all of them, smiled at me – happily, and without a twinge of evil in it. I cautiously smiled back half-believing what was happening when I heard Alina shout desperately from behind.

"Ántonia! No!"


	22. Better Free Your Mind Instead

Jacob's POV

**Chapter V: Better Free Your Mind Instead **

Twenty-four hours had gone by and I hadn't left the Petrescu household yet. Alina's parents had been very easy to convince about the vampires. They even seemed relieved such vampires existed, which made sense. They believed their powers returned because the vampire world was unstable and although they had trusted the Gypsy leaders at first, they did not believe their current strategies would do much to calm the instability.

Since my arrival I had been sitting in the Petrescu's kitchen meeting family after family and explaining the situation. As Alina had guessed they weren't very hard to convince either. The people it was going to be hard to convince were those closest to Nicolae, the leader.

I had just finished explaining things for the eighteenth time and was resting my head against the kitchen table when I heard the scurry of someone next to me. When I opened my eyes Alina's sister was standing next to me holding a plate of food. "I thought you might be hungry." The sandwich, chips, and fruit looked appetizing even for this early in the morning, so I gladly took the plate. She sat quietly in the chair next to me. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," I said while taking a bite from an apple.

"Why are you doing this?"

"I told you why."

"I understand why we are endangering ourselves, but why would you fight so strongly to protect them?"

"There are a few vampires out there I know quite personally. They're my family."

"You would go against your own nature?"

"You can't go by just what your nature tells you. There is always more to the story."

"Some would say we would be going against our own nature if we were to trust the vampires. If we were to trust you." Alina's sister was giving me the toughest argument yet. I wondered why her will was so difficult to break.

"I know it's difficult, but what I'm telling you is the truth. That's the most important thing." The little girl, who couldn't have weighed more than 80 pounds, pulled her knees up to her chest and leaned her head back against the chair. She definitely had the same strength Alina possessed. Within a few years she'd be just as formidable an opponent. She looked a little more relived now. Perhaps she had just been testing me. It was something her sister most certainly would have done. I continued to eat, which seemed rude, but I was really hungry.

"You know about the toxin," she said plainly.

"Yes, we do," I answered.

"Did Alina tell you where it came from?"

"She said it comes from blood."

"So she did not tell you." My eyebrows lifted automatically. That girl had more secrets than anyone I'd ever known and my friends were shifters and vampires for god's sake.

"I don't understand."

"The toxin only works when it is derived from _pure _Gypsy blood. There are only three families who are still of pure blood. One of which is the Petrescu's. On top of that, my father is a chemist."

"I see…" I responded quietly. Alina was a strategist after all. Would we have trusted her if she would have given us this information?

"After Alina left we realized how wrong we had been. My family is trying very hard to atone for what they have done. Alina, by far the most of course. Maybe it is not enough."

"We all have a place in this fight. You just got a little mislead along the way." The girl sighed. Since she was spilling so many secrets to me, I suddenly felt bad for not even knowing her name. "By the way, what's your name?"

"Lucia."

"Nice to meet you, Lucia." The girl nodded and even smirked slightly.

"So tell me about this Nicolae guy. Alina told me he would be hard to convince."

"It will not be possible to convince him. I am too young to remember but Alina told me about how persuasive he could be. He promised us we would be protected and how it was our duty to fight them. It is why we were given these powers. He told us all the things we wanted to hear and he has not stopped feeding the fear of vampires since the very first of our abilities appeared. He is very convincing. He speaks so well it is hard to disagree with him. It is why my parents have been bringing families to meet you, instead of the other way around. Nicolae is very dangerous."

"No human ever scared me," I said confidently and partly as a joke, but Lucia didn't smile. Her eyebrows had drawn closer together and her face was intense.

"Someone is coming," she whispered. I listened as well and it took a few seconds before I heard the footsteps she was referring to. Girl had some kind of hearing.

"Who is it?" I whispered back. Lucia suddenly jumped from her chair and knocked it over in the process. She stared at the front door looking completely petrified. I had never seen Alina that scared in the entire time I knew her and she had faced vampires and werewolves.

"Nicolae…" Lucia breathed. In the next second there was a knock at the door. Lucia would have to unlock the many locks and deadbolts holding the door closed. I stood up and whispered to Lucia.

"Lucia, go unlock the door and let him in. Then climb out your bedroom window and leave, okay? Go find your parents, do you understand?" Lucia calmly nodded and headed for the front door. She quickly undid the locks in a rehearsed way and pulled the door open. A tall and admittedly intimidating man stood behind it…and I recognized him. He had been there that day in the forest. He had been the one who shot Sasha with a poisoned arrow, although he had been trying to kill Nessie. Rage began to percolate through my blood. I remembered how broken Nessie had been those few days after Sasha's death and how much healing she still might have to do. I wanted to kill him.

"Lucia, it is lovely to see you," he said too courteously.

"My parents are not here," she said abruptly.

"I know, Lucia." She swallowed hard. I hoped there wasn't more to that sentence then he was revealing. I noticed Nicolae look to me and he walked through the threshold with three equally large men walking behind him. One of which I recognized from the airport. They were all nearly as tall as me. I wondered what they thought I was. "Let me introduce myself, I am Nicolae Vadim." His voice was calm and low. He held out his hand to shake mine and I followed protocol.

"Jacob."

"Jacob. I have heard some disturbing things and I believe them to be coming from this household. Could it be you?"

"I won't deny it. But I also don't want the Petrescu's held accountable. This has nothing to do with them specifically."

"We know how to handle our people, Jacob." I glanced over at Lucia. She still had her hand on the doorknob and looked frozen in her spot. I casually gestured my head hoping it would wake her from her immobile state. Luckily, she caught this and quietly moved down the hallway and out of sight. The other men didn't appear concerned about the thirteen-year-old girl and didn't notice her absence. Now that she was out of this mess I had to get myself out it.

"Look, you already seem to know what I've been saying so just let me reiterate this, not all vampires are a danger to you. Some want to live peacefully and don't want to hurt humans. They don't even drink human blood."

"Jacob, you have been deceived. We are made to fight vampires. It is to be our place in the world."

"I know that better than you, believe me. But things change. We're not bound to think the way our ancestors thought." My ancestors would probably roll over in their graves in they knew some of the things I had done on behalf of my natural enemies.

"I cannot have you come in to my community and spread these lies."

"I'm not just here on behalf of vampires, I'm here on behalf of Alina. You know her, right? Your star pupil?" His eyes flashed with anger and one of the body guards fidgeted slightly. I recognized him then…there was a picture of him sitting on the end table. He was one of Alina's brothers. That must have been what kept Lucia at the door so long.

"Do not speak that name!" Nicolae barked at me. He was beginning to lose his cool. He was probably frustrated since I wasn't as afraid of him as everyone else.

"Look, you have to listen! It's the Volturi you need to worry about! They have been killing any vampire, werewolf, and mermaid out there who have even talked about taking their power. Once they get wind of you guys you won't stand a chance." Nicolae had a strange look on his face momentarily. Sort-of like some idea was beginning to take shape in his head. I thought maybe he was reconsidering my words, but his face became strangely calm again.

"Jacob, you will not turn my people against me."

"The damage may have already been done." Nicolae began walking closer to me. Although it went against my nature as an Alpha, I stepped back. As much as I wanted him dead I had promised Peyton I would not hurt anyone – even this evil piece of garbage.

"You will not be the one to end my leadership, Jacob," he said with so much edge to his voice it made me want to cringe. I couldn't back up any further because I had run into the countertop of the kitchen and the four men had enclosed me as much as was possible. My instincts were begging me to phase and it was nearly painful to stave off the transformation. And then strangely…it became less painful. "You will no longer spread these lies," Nicolae said to me. He was so close now I could smell his breath. I would have expected my instincts to become stronger, but they were still fading away. All my thoughts were fading. My head felt disconnected from my body. Everything felt like it was in slow-motion. "You will understand vampires are dangerous and bloodthirsty. They want all humans dead." Wait a second. Didn't I disagree with all that? Why wasn't I arguing back? With every command Nicolae issued, no matter how much I might have disagreed, I found I couldn't fight back. I couldn't disagree with him. I believed what he believed. "Good Jacob, you will be an asset to our community. You want to help us."

"Yes, Nicolae," I said like a robot. That wasn't right. Why would I agree to that? Nicolae had an accomplished smile come across his face. Wait...was this a trick? Was this his ability? No one had told me what it might be. Nicolae took a step back and placed a hand on my shoulder. I looked at his hand and didn't even feel the urge to smack it away. Luckily, someone else did it for me.

What happened next seemed faster than the speed of light given how slowly time was going by for the last few minutes. Nicolae and two of his body guards were being pinned against the walls of the kitchen. However, no one was there to hold them. They were obviously putting forth some physical exertion, but it looked like they were fighting something invisible.

"Jacob! Run!" the remaining bodyguard said in my direction. It was Alina's brother. He was standing in front of the three men with his eyes squinted and his forehead wrinkled intensely. You didn't have to tell me twice. The front door had been left open and I hurried by the three Gypsy men who were sprawled out against the wall. The powers sure ran deep in the Petrescu household. I guessed that kid's must have been telekinesis because Nicolae and the two bodyguards were being held down like Darth Vader had been unleashed on them.

After I had run a few hundred feet from the house I felt my head return to normal and I phased without giving a thought to my clothes.


	23. You Ain't Gonna Make it With Anyone

**Chapter VI: You Ain't Gonna Make It With Anyone Anyhow  
**

"Ántonia, don't move, just lie still. Peyton, go get some blood from the fridge! Hurry!" I dove beside her and let her rest her head against my arms. Ántonia had collapsed in the middle of the floor. Jane, Alec, Felix, and Demetri gave her looks of slight concern. They had just learned she was their friend after all.

Ántonia was so thin and light it was like holding a porcelain doll. I saw the others begin to gather around me. They all looked terribly frightened at the sight of her. She didn't seem like a vampire anymore. The air escaping from her throat was shallow and labored. Her forehead was drenched in sweat and her eyes fluttered open for only seconds at a time. Her once undeniable and absolute strength was lost.

"My dear…stop…there is nothing left to be done."

"There is always something that can be done!" I shouted at her. It wasn't a very comforting way to approach the situation. Instantly, my mind flashed back to that tragic day in the woods around my house. I had never experienced déjà vu so painful. The airborne toxin had done to Ántonia the same thing it had done to Sasha; only, because the toxin had a lesser concentration of blood the effects were prolonged. With her final remainder of strength expended the toxin was taking full effect. "Ántonia. I can't fight them without you. I don't have the power and the strength that you have," I begged through tears which had begun trickling from my eyes.

"Your power is far greater and your strength more resilient then you give credit, my dear. I told you, you are the key, Nessie…" her words began to fade in and out uncomfortably. "I have seen it…you, and you alone, will be the one to change…everything."

I wanted to yell again at her for this farewell speech. How dare she demand I fight when she would give up so easily? Several tears of regret and anger fell from my eyes and landed on Ántonia's cheek. She slowly raised her hand to touch them.

"Everything feels so different now. My lungs need air…my body needs warmth…my mind needs rest. It has been so long since I have desired any of those things…" Her eyes were becoming blank and empty; emphasized by their darkness. I noticed then Peyton never left to get the blood from the kitchen. No one ever listened to me. Alina was wrapped in up in Rye's arms hiding her face which was more than likely covered in tears. Rye was noticeably biting his lip as well. I looked back to Ántonia and asked her furiously,

"No… Ántonia. Fight, you have to fight."

"I have faith in you." Her eyes closed…they did not flutter open once more. This was the second time someone died in my arms.


	24. You May Say I'm a Dreamer

**Chapter VII: You May Say I'm a Dreamer  
**

_I stared at the deck of cards sitting on the table in between us. His voice rang out with sober clarity in a way I hadn't heard in months. _

"_Five card draw?"_

"_No way, I have no poker face remember?"_

"_Bridge?"_

"_Who under the age of a hundred knows how to play bridge?"_

"_Gin rummy?"_

"_I always lose at rummy."_

"_What would you like to play?" he asked at last. _

"_Go fish."_

"_You always seem to gravitate toward games based on luck, do you not?" _

_I took the cards and shuffled them impressively between my fingers. I even laid the cards across the table and did the flip card trick. If you didn't know I couldn't hide my tells to save my life I would have appeared quite the card shark. _

"_I like it when no one has the advantage in a competition, when things are even and it could go either way every time you play." I passed a few cards between us and paused a moment to look in his eyes. They were sparkling brilliantly. They were the most spectacular blue – so clear and so perfect it made me want to cry. I had spent months and months trying to remember their color and it was in my mind the entire time. I just didn't understand how to get to it before. In addition to sharing my thoughts with others I had the ability to loosen any mental block and there was no longer any obstruction between my conscious and subconscious, between my dreams and my thoughts. I don't know what had been keeping me from remembering Sasha clearly before; perhaps fear or sorrow, or the fear of being sorrowful again, but here I was – cognizant of the fact I was playing cards with a memory and enjoying it all the same. _

"_What is it?" he asked gently of me. He was arranging his cards strategically while mine were still in a pile in front of me. I had been staring at him a while._

"_I'm not going to see you anymore, am I?" I asked him. He glanced at his cards and then at me. His look was quizzical and amused. _

"_Why would you not you see me?" _

_I sighed. How would I explain this to my subconscious? Was he even a dream? Was he a memory? Perhaps this was something all vampires experience when they lose someone they love. Maybe I was just insane. But with this deeper understanding I now had of my power I knew he wouldn't appear anymore the way he had been for so many nights. I didn't gain any more control over sharing my thoughts with others, yet I could control my thoughts better within my own mind. I could think what I wanted and I could recall any detail I desired. I could think of everything at once and as overwhelming as it might sound it made me feel more…free than I had in my entire life. At this moment in the unique world between my conscious and subconscious, a world in which only I could create, I wanted to see Sasha and I wanted to see his eyes. I couldn't bring myself to hurt him though, even if it was all in my head. _

"_No reason. I miss you," I admitted to myself. Sasha looked confused, but he quickly replaced it with a small and meek smile – the one I remembered best. _

"_I will always be here monster-girl." _

I opened my eyes from the strange and exhilarating experience. I remembered it quite plainly as if it had actually happened. It was the first time I had slept a healthy amount in…I don't know how long. It's an incredibly jarring feeling to have little to no barrier between one's conscious and subconscious minds. Yet I had finally figured it out, just like Sasha had always promised I would. It was that last stage of grief I suppose. Acceptance, right? Acceptance of my loss, of my gifts, and reluctantly…my destiny.


	25. We'd all Love to See the Plan

Jacob's POV

**Chapter VIII: We'd all Love to See the Plan **

My discussion with Nicolae hadn't gone exactly as planned. I didn't expect to be under his influence either – something which no one had warned me about. Then again, perhaps no one knew about it. Maybe they had accredited his persuasive personality to charisma but there was definitely something else going on there. There was no way would I ever agree to join his side. Alina's brother, who must have also doubted Nicolae's leadership, realized this and fortunately he distracted them enough to allow me to escape. It felt wrong to leave the Petrescu's in so much trouble. I only hoped because so many now knew the truth it would be enough to destroy Nicolae's power.

I was incredibly exhausted and I hadn't slept in days, but I couldn't stop running. Not until I reached my destination. Not until I reached Nessie…

After the longest sprint of my life I finally was at the doorstep of the boarding house again. It was still an hour or so before dawn and I was able to phase back and quickly get dressed without making a spectacle of myself. Thank god for the vampire fanny pack and the extra set of clothes they decided to include. I quietly made my way up to the front door and opened it without knocking; they probably could smell me anyway. What I saw when I opened the door, well, you could have knocked me over with a feather.

In the middle of the common room sat Jane, Alec, Demetri, and Felix. Four of the most powerful members of the Volturi guard. I would have instantly phased again except I was honestly too shocked. They weren't wearing their black and frightening robes. Jane for instance was dressed in a plaid shorts and a tank top. Tani was sitting next to her on the couch arranging her hair into French braids. She looked like a very pale middle-school girl; essentially that's what she was but it was more than weird for her. Felix and Alec were poking at the fireplace and Demetri was skimming through a romance novel. Before I could process the entire scene Marthe was at my side and grasped my arm. She was trying to get my attention before I attacked or phased or managed to do anything at all other than stare.

"Jacob! You're back," she said excitedly.

"What the hell…" I stammered.

"Relax. Everything is fine," she issued like an order.

"What are they…?"

"Oh, you mean our _friends_, Felix, Jane, Demetri and Alec?" Marthe said with a strange inflection in her voice. I didn't even nod, just let my eyes dart over the room a few more times. "Yes, of course you do. Everyone, this is Jacob." The four ancient vampires smiled brightly at me, maybe a little too brightly for my comfort.

"He smells like you Marthe!" Jane sang happily. Her voice was so…_girly_. Instinctively, I should have trusted it, but this was Jane I was witnessing here.

"Yes Jane, Jacob is a wolf like me." Marthe explained gently. Jane should have already known this and she should have already known me for that matter. We'd met before. "And vampires and wolves are friends. Very good friends."

"Even though they do not smell good," Jane said like a child. Tani kept running her fingers through her short black hair. The action fit her as she always was the motherly and doting type. "As long as they do not hurt humans," Jane said proudly and again, like a child.

"Yes, that is right, Jane." Tani said over Jane's shoulder.

Marthe pulled on my arm and lead me into the kitchen. Rye and Alina followed us. Each of the Volturi returned to what they were doing and didn't give me a second look. I was ready to sit when I got into the kitchen; half from exhaustion, half from shock.

"What was that?!" I breathed. The three stood around me in a semi-circle.

"It's amazing isn't it? They came here because they were attracted to Rye's scent and we were all but destroyed, but Ántonia saved us. She erased their memories," Alina explained

"She can do that?"

"Apparently she could. They do not remember _anything_ and we have decided not to tell them too much to begin with. They are incredibly trusting. We tell them not to bite humans and they do not."

"It's like _Invasion of the Body Snatchers_, I swear, Jake," Rye commented. Despite his joke Alina become quite serious.

"Jacob, what happened with the Gypsies?" she asked her eyes full of curiosity and anxiousness. Where to begin?

"It's kind-of complicated…" I was suddenly bothered someone was missing from the room. "Where is Nessie? Is she asleep?" Marthe, Rye, and Alina looked nervously at each other. Rye cleared his throat and reluctantly began.

"Uh…no Jake, she's not asleep."

"Where is she?"

"She's not here." The words rang through my ears and didn't make sense. Nothing was making sense this morning.

"What are you talking about?" Rye looked pleadingly at Alina obviously hesitant to be the one to clarify things for me. She sighed at him with some irritation before she picked up the conversation.

"Jacob, when Ántonia erased their memories the last of her strength was used. She could not go on any longer. She passed away."

"Oh my god, that's awful. Nessie must be a wreck." I knew Nessie had been struggling with what she was supposed to contribute to Ántonia's war, but I knew she still loved her and wanted to be her friend. I didn't know Ántonia as well as any of them, but she had been the one to help Nessie find herself and I was thankful to Ántonia for doing so.

"She might be, if we knew where she was." Rye said off-hand. I was still confused and I think it may have been the only thing keeping my voice calm.

"Excuse me?"

"We don't know where she is for sure, but we have an idea. We think she may have gone to Volturra."

Okay, that was it. Calm was now gone. It wasn't anywhere in the vicinity.

"WHAT!!" The three instantly took a step back from me.

"Be calm, Jacob! Like I said, we don't know for sure," Alina said back to me calmly. She was far braver than the other two and the most vulnerable. Her blood wouldn't poison me and she wasn't nearly strong enough to hold me back. Yet, she wasn't the least bit shaken by my shouting or the tone of my voice.

"WHY WOULD YOU THINK SHE WENT TO VOLTURRA?!"

"Ántonia said something to her about how she was going to be the one to change things. And that she would do it alone."

"SHE WENT TO VOLTURRA _ALONE_?" The three just nodded guiltily. I leave that girl alone for two seconds and what does she do? "WHY DIDN'T YOU STOP HER?"

"She did not tell us anything. She was just gone," Alina said sadly and she took a brave step towards me. My muscles were shaking and I really had to concentrate to avoid the impulse to transform right there in the kitchen. Alina of course, wasn't afraid of anything, least of all me. "Jacob, please try to calm down. Nessie is not reckless. Perhaps she knows something we do not."

"But she doesn't…I would know…she can't fight them…" I pleaded, my voice finally at a normal volume again. I fell into a chair at the kitchen table. My muscles had given way to exhaustion and I could barely hold my own head up. I knew Nessie was confused about how she could ever fulfill Ántonia's vision of her future. However, I told her not to do anything stupid and this whole situation sounded very, very stupid. I had also told her I loved her, and although she didn't say it back, I had felt something in the way she kissed me. Even if there was a chance she wanted me the same way I wanted her it was more than enough to fight for. "Her father is going to kill me," I muttered. Rye laughed and Alina gave him a withering stare in response. He quickly stopped his laughter. "We have to get her. Rye, can you? I know it's dangerous..."

"No problem," Rye said confidently knowing full well what I had meant. At his top speed he could reach her much faster than I could. Rye looked to Alina; her withering stare had melted into one of concern and worry. Where was this coming from? Rye said something in her direction which was clearly only meant for her. "Don't worry. I'll be there in no time. I'll see you in a day or so, okay?" Alina quickly nodded and he kissed her hairline before he bolted out the door at his super speed. What I would do for speed like his at this moment.

My muscles screamed for relief when I stood up, but my will was much too resilient to obey them. "Let's go…now."


	26. No Hell Below Us

**Chapter IX: No Hell Below Us  
**

I had no idea what I was doing.

I will never understand how people can stand to commute to work or have travel as a part of their profession. Train rides, plane rides, taxi rides – they all give you far too much time to think.

Ántonia's words were spinning through my head over and over. _"You are the key, Nessie…I have seen it…you, and you alone, will be the one to change…everything."_ Ántonia's dying words had been a distressed plea for me to realize what she had been saying from the very beginning. Sasha had mentioned to me once Ántonia could see the future, but her talent was flawed – she never knew the correct timeline. Perhaps centuries ago she saw Jane and the other Volturi guards arriving and that is how she knew they would cross our threshold yesterday, or was it two days ago? Leaving in the middle of the night was throwing me off. Needless to say, she knew it was vital she be near all of us when they arrived. Or was it a coincidence? She could have meant she was needed for another unrelated purpose. Although, if that were true then she would not have begged forgiveness before they arrived. Perhaps she didn't know how she would stop Jane and the others because she didn't remember the ability, but she still knew she _would_ stop them.

In addition to that, somehow she knew I would discover a new use of my powers. Who knows how long ago she had seen me? When I unlatched my subconscious Ántonia's lost thoughts were exposed as well and I was able to find the memory which saved us. And in using my ability on her she retained my power and showed me a part of her thoughts I would have never known to look for. It all seemed to work out too perfectly for it to be a coincidence. She was gone now and she still managed to create more questions than answers.

Despite all the new confidence I had found I still had no idea what I was doing. I knew I was headed for Volturra. I realized not long after Ántonia died what she had shown me. It was an entrance to their headquarters. I could have just asked Peyton for this information as well, but he never would have let me go alone, and Ántonia certainly knew that. I knew I would have to speak with the three governing head vampires of the Volturi. Yet, how I would convince them to give up their power, I had no idea. Perhaps they were ready to retire and would happily give up their kingdom…or not. Probably not.

I struggled with this strange uncertainty until I arrived in Volturra. I had rented a car and parked it randomly near the main square. It didn't really matter. It was obviously a tourist area, although this early in the morning the only people around was the shopkeepers who were setting up for the day. Several of them were whistling happily and nodded or tipped their hats in my direction. How I managed to smile back I don't know…I must have been losing my mind.

Without thinking, I was able to follow the path Ántonia had shown me in her head. I recognized the square, then the alley, then the brick wall, and then the manhole cover. It was all too simple, too easy. As if the Volturi weren't even trying to hide. I swallowed once before I leaned down and picked up the cover as if it weighed nothing. I kept the thoughts which screamed _turn around_ as far back as possible as I dropped into the hole. This was where Ántonia's vision had ended meaning she had never gotten any closer to the Volturi than this which was probably a good move on her part. She wouldn't want to risk getting caught by them. And here I was walking right in, uninvited no less.

I continued down the corridor and through an arched tunnel. The age of which was probably as old as Italy itself. I reached the end of the tunnel where a huge gate of iron blocked my path. I suddenly had to stop and think of who I might be meeting on this path. The interior circle of the Volturi guard, Jane, Alec, Demetri, and Felix, were all but on our side now. This left Chelsea and Afton, Corin, Renata, Santiago, and Heidi; not to mention the wives and any other members I didn't know by name. I wouldn't win a fight against any of them, but the loss of the forgetful four was a significant dent in their line-up. Noisily, I shoved open the gate which must have been meant to stop humans because even I managed to get it open. No one came to address the noise however. I was amazed I wasn't dead yet.

I kept walking and found the next door was open. What kind of security system was this? Then I remembered the Volturi had been spending the last seven years destroying their enemies. They didn't really have that many left. Since they were unaware of the Gypsies, who did they have to be afraid of? Aro had even sent out his inner circle of his strongest guards – a move which should have left them completely vulnerable.

The door I had just passed through led to a brighter room with a huge wooden door on the opposite side. I had to exert a small effort to open it. It still wasn't the end and I was becoming frustrated with anticipation. This hallway was finished with modern lighting and industrial carpet so I had to be getting close. Or maybe farther…it did look like a corporate basement and not all that vampire-y. Finally in this hallway there was an elevator. It dinged innocently as it took me up a floor and opened to a stylish lobby. The girl sitting behind a huge desk had both her eyebrows raised in my direction and looked outrageously confused. Walking right in without an appointment might have been a first time thing. I slowly walked forward and stood semi-confidently before the human receptionist. She didn't look afraid and then I remembered my eyes were brown so she must have been shocked to see a human come in without a vampire along.

"Can I help you?" Her voice trembled a little. This was so completely absurd. Here I was trying to overthrow the ruling vampire aristocracy and the receptionist asks if she can help me.

"My name is Renesmee Cullen." A little enlightenment entered her eyes. She must have heard my name before. "I would like to speak with Aro and the others, if that is possible."

"I believe it may be. Let me ask." She stood up and turned to walk through another pair of doors. Before she got too far I spoke up,

"Wait. What is your name?" She turned back around and peered at me curiously.

"Allison."

"You're human right. After I go in there, you should probably make yourself scarce. Just in case." The girl half-nodded and turned back around. She must have thought situation absurd as well. Who was I to give warnings anyway? I didn't look the least bit threatening and these were the Volturi for God's sake. I truly had lost my mind.

I only heard a few measures of the orchestral music playing from overhead speakers when Allison came back followed quickly by Heidi. Her face was a combination of excitement and hunger. "I do not believe my eyes."

I didn't say anything. It seemed like the right thing to do.

"How did you get in here, Miss Cullen?"

"Got the directions from a friend. I apologize for intruding, but I would like to speak to your masters if that is at all possible. It is of some importance."

"Are you alone?"

"Yes," I answered honestly, and I wished it wasn't true. Heidi looked a little speculative, I'm sure she thought I was lying. An entrancing smile went across her face and her hand glided toward the next pair of doors.

"Right this way, Miss Cullen."


	27. You Tell Me it's the Institution

**Chapter X: You Tell Me it's the Institution  
**

Heidi's four-inched heels clicked down the hallway leading into a circular stone room with a few ostentatious thrones and an ominous drain in the center. Alice told me about this place once. My mother was furious afterwards thinking I would have nightmares. With my new ability it was possible I would never have another nightmare again.

Almost all the remaining members of the Volturi guard were in the room. Only Renata and Chelsea were missing. There were also a few I did not know the names of. Each was eyeing me with what I would call contempt except Heidi who continued to grin. I didn't have to wonder long where the three masters were. They flew in through another door followed by Renata and Chelsea not more than ten seconds after I had walked in. Aro, who still had a strange fatherly quality (although it really wasn't anything like my father), was grinning ear-to-ear. The other two did not look nearly as excited to see me. Caius looked positively livid and Marcus looked disinterested.

"Renesmee Cullen! How pleased I am to see you again. Please tell me your parents are with you."

"Regretfully, no. I am here alone."

"You have grown up into quite the young woman, Miss Cullen. You are as lovely as your mother."

"Thank-you," I said politely.

"I have heard you found your way in without an escort from one of my guards. Quite ingenious of you."

"Thank-you," I said again. He didn't ask me how I knew to get in so I wasn't about to tell him. I would let Ántonia's existence remain a mystery to them. She would have wanted it that way.

"Please, tell us what the meaning is of your visit. I hope it is not unsettling news."

I had to stop and take a breath. I knew this was not going to sound all that threatening, in fact it might sound entirely ridiculous, but I had to say it anyway.

"I have two pieces of information to share with you. The first is your guards, Jane, Alec, Demetri, and Felix, are no longer loyal to you." Aro actually smiled even more brightly and Chelsea let out a sharp and unnatural laugh. Aro prompted me to continue although he spoke like he was humoring me.

"Please explain, Miss Cullen."

"Due to some extenuating circumstances outside of their control, they have chosen to join with another coven. Not mine, just another." I hoped it sounded vague yet satisfying enough for them. I didn't want to inform the Volturi of anyone's identity or existence. If I were to do so their days would most certainly be numbered.

"And how is it you came to know this?"

"I was there. I have spoken with them."

"I see. Well, what kind of extenuating circumstances could have convinced my most loyal companions to turn against me?"

"That is part of the second piece of information I need to share with you. You see, I must tell you the vampire world is in some disarray and it may be time for new leadership." Now the entire guard broke out in snickering. Even Caius had a vindictive smile as he shook his head. The Volturi knew only too well there were those who conspired against them. They had been killing them for the last seven years. They did not see any fault in this however.

"Who has sent you with this message?"

"No one. I'm here alone like I told you. Just know there are others who agree with this and they feel you have let your power out of control. You and the other members of the Volturi need to change your tactics or there will be consequences."

"Forgive me, Miss Cullen for my impropriety, but I cannot fathom what you are saying. It is simply not possible." They must have been quite certain the last of their enemies had been destroyed aside from my family. I wondered how much longer it would be until they sought them out. So many lives had ended because of this pursuit and it was becoming more and more likely I would be among those numbers. I might as well prove my point.

"You think I am lying?" Aro merely made a wave of his hand as confirmation. I lifted my chin with some confidence as that once familiar feeling of rebellious frustration shot through me. "Then look in my head," I said impertinently. Aro's eyes sparkled for a moment as he contemplated this. "You'll know everything you need to know."

I knew Aro could see any thought I had ever had, but at this point he didn't know I could virtually do the same. Yet, it wasn't the same as Aro's ability and maybe it wasn't even as powerful. I could unlock barriers. I could see into the subconscious. I had a subconscious because I was human. Did vampires even have a subconscious? I wasn't even sure but it seemed possible. They have fears, they have times of anxiousness, and they definitely have moments where everything they do is ruled by emotions and instinct. Where do those thought processes lie? Surely not in the forefront of one's mind? I was about to find out. Aro took a few steps towards me. His daunting height and paper-skin negated some of his fatherly qualities. My heart-rate quickened.

"You look frightened child." He breathed with his hand raised. He was now only a foot in front of me.

"No. Not frightened." And truthfully I wasn't frightened…it was hard to describe what I was feeling. It was unfamiliar. I knew fear, I knew grief, I knew regret…this was none of those. This was exhilaration – an adrenaline high of sorts. I was about to use my ability on the King of vampires. I had to admit it's the biggest thing to ever happen to little sheltered me.

Unable to delay it any longer I reached out and touched my hand to his. I knew I couldn't protect my mind so I let him rifle through my head like an open book. I poured my thoughts into him. He looked…bewildered. I doubted anyone had ever given themselves over to him so easily and with so much exuberance. I knew my thoughts were different; they were more like paintings then words. Sasha had told me that once and I think my mental masterpieces were distracting him. Enough so that I let my mind unlatch further and his did as well in the process. Aro did have secrets; three thousand years worth of secrets. And there were many thoughts in his head I would have given anything not to have seen. My mouth dropped in horror and amazingly his did as well. His confusion increased. He was seeing me see into his head. He was reliving things he had kept great care to hide. He ripped his hand away and his eyes blazed in anger. Caius and Marcus were at his side at a rate of speed I wouldn't have believed they were able. Aro was massaging the hand which had touched mine like it had a writing cramp in it.

"What? What did you see?" Caius demanded. Aro took a breath and spoke with more astonishment than anger in his voice.

"Jane and the others. They have lost their memories. They are no longer loyal to us."

"I told you I don't lie," I said with a little petulance in my voice. The three Italian vampires glared at me and my immature insolence. I wasn't afraid of them though. They were no more powerful than me, and no less.

"She saw…" Aro stammered. The members of the guard were beginning to look concerned. I don't think they'd ever seen Aro at a loss for words.

"What did I see, Aro? Would you like to explain it all, or shall I?" Aro's eyes were blazing with anger. I was really beginning to push my luck now, but there wasn't any turning back. "There are so many lies between the three of you. Between the members of your own guard. Heidi, there was a human you cared for very much a few years back? You even asked Aro if you could change him." Heidi was surprised I had moved the conversation towards her, but she smiled and answered honestly.

"Yes, there was."

"Did you know Chelsea eliminated his desire for you? Then Aro commanded he be killed." Heidi's forehead creased and her eyes shot a menacing glance toward Chelsea.

"You would do that to me Chelsea?" Heidi asked with some trepidation.

"Do not listen to her. She is trying to turn us against each other."

"He was mine…how could you?" Heidi's voice was trembling and hurt. Even evil vampires could fall in love.

"He was distracting you and he would not have provided any gift for our masters," Chelsea hissed. The sadness in Heidi's eyes was heartbreaking.

"Don't be too sad, Heidi. Renata has been plotting to kill Chelsea for the last few decades and vice versa. Chelsea desperately wants to take her place at Aro's side. It is part of her nature after all. She desires a strong relationship with the most powerful person in the room – much to Afton's jealousy." Chelsea hissed my direction while some strange satisfaction entered Heidi's eyes. Afton and Renata reached another level of anger after I'd spilled their secrets.

"Be quiet!" Caius roared at me.

"Of course everyone has secretly desired to get Jane and Alec out of the picture. They are of course Aro's most prized possessions; or should I say _were_. Santiago and Corin's plans were the most developed and the most disturbed. How could you stand to know those things?" I said with honest disgust in Aro's direction. His face was continually losing its fatherly-ness with each word I spoke. Caius looked so enraged I was surprised he was controlling himself at all. He half hissed at me,

"I am warning you half-breed!"

"Caius, you have hunted werewolves to extinction just because you fear them. If you ever thought to even speak to one you would know they would not bother you if you didn't bother them. You do not even try to learn about what you do not understand. You will never have any room in your heart or mind for tolerance or acceptance. That is why you desire to kill me so adamantly."

"A decision I have regretted for the last seven years," Caius seethed. My words were giving me frightening momentum.

"Marcus, Aro murdered your wife, his sister. He keeps you loyal to him through Chelsea. Perhaps you're the most innocent of all the Volturi." This was the first time Marcus' face had ever had any expression on it besides boredom. If his connection with his wife had been anything like what I felt for Jacob, I knew why he had appeared bored for the last millennia or so. He was empty without his true love and he probably had no real desire to live, but Chelsea's ability had kept him from doing anything other than, exist. Now however, his face was enlightened and vindicated. I wondered how long he had suspected Aro. Aro's face looked defensive, but he didn't speak. I continued, "All of you have killed _so_ many people and not only for survival. You've done it out of vindictiveness and loathing and…sport." I cringed at the word. "You've killed so many vampires needlessly and have created a world of fear and hatred. There are so many better ways to live. For example, a life based on love and respect and honesty as opposed to vengeance and anger. None of you can claim any of those virtues. What kind of leader is that?"

I paused and took a quick account of their reactions. Everyone appeared to be reeling over so many revelations. Unfortunately, it didn't mean they felt any guilt. Were the Volturi even capable of having a conscience any longer? There was one secret left to be revealed and I believed it may have been the reason for the fear lingering in Aro's eyes. "Aro, you have the greatest secret of all. You have broken your own law. You have turned children; at least a dozen of them. It's impressive how well you hid it. And why did you do it? Because more than anything you want what you can't have. Your own children, that's the ultimate possession isn't it? You're thinking of impregnating the receptionist? That's sick." Aro didn't speak and Marcus and Caius looked horrified. "And Aro, you knew everything. It's part of your power. You knew how corrupt your own organization had become, but you did nothing to change it. Why is that? The most basic thing, right? Because you're afraid of losing power. You'll never be able to build an entourage like this again. Especially not when you've been killing anything that might question you."

"You will be quiet, you insolent little…"

"Careful, Aro. You don't want alienate me too, I'm just trying to help you." I couldn't help letting a bit of sarcasm enter my voice, I think I was channeling Rye and my Uncle Emmett. Aro continued to fume with anger while everyone else in the room just looked distressed. Aro took a breath before he continued. I could tell a plan was formulating in his mind and he managed to make his voice smooth again.

"Let's not argue my children. Everything will work out, I promise you. Before that however, we can all agree on one thing." Aro's eyes fell back upon me. Uh-oh…this was bad. "Let us rid ourselves of what has dared to destroy our rule." I started backing up from them. They were all slowly beginning to surround me. I tried to look through my expansive vocabulary to find some other word that might dispel them, but I was too frightened to talk. I was against the wall of the room with a dozen pairs of crimson eyes radiating at me. I tried to calm my breathing when something distracted me – something all too familiar. It was that damn smell. The one which strained my lungs and clogged my senses. The one that makes vampires suffocate. No one else seemed to be alarmed by the scent. They were all still staring at me.


	28. All I Can Tell You

Bella's POV

**Chapter XI: All I Can Tell You  
**

We were all in the living room of the main house on the estate. Another couple of days had gone by without a word from Renesmee or Jacob, which was frustrating. However, no one in the house had been more frustrated lately than Alice. We were all waiting on her to have a vision of something, of anything, which might indicate Nessie and Jacob might be alive. There was nothing – hour after hour…nothing. "It's like someone turned the channel to snow and won't change it back," Alice complained. Although she was reluctant to admit it, the times when Renesmee was gone were actually quite peaceful to her mind. Without Nessie around to block her sight she was able to have clear visions like she used to. The haziness of her ability did bother her and there had been a few times when she left with Jasper just to get some peace, but generally, she suffered through it because she loved Nessie so very much. However, at the moment things were different from normal. She had been having one of her blinding headaches for the last twelve hours or so. That had never happened while Nessie was gone and it increased everyone's distress. Jasper held her hand and read her emotions carefully. His eyes looked pained obviously experiencing what she was experiencing.

"Alice, don't strain yourself," I murmured to her.

"It's just unusual. I know I can't see Nessie, but I can't even see any of us." The headaches usually appeared when something was unclear about our own futures or if our futures were too entangled with a half-creature. Then again, none of us even had contact with Nessie at the moment so it didn't make sense that our futures would be so unfocused.

"Maybe you're looking at the wrong thing."

"What?" Alice asked, nearly irritated.

"There must be someone else on the periphery of Nessie who could give us some information."

"I suppose. I don't even know where to start." We didn't know who she was with. We didn't even know where she was. Under some definitions she was an adult, but I couldn't help feeling like a terrible parent.

"Don't strain yourself," Jasper repeated my words.

"Don't worry about me. Just let me think for a moment." Alice leaned back against the couch and held her knees against her chest. I don't know how she could stand anymore thinking. I leaned into Edward who was equally tense. I stroked his face as a method to calm him. His eyes met mine and he barely smiled, but his eyes didn't lose their intensity. From the quiet Alice started talking. I wasn't sure if she was talking us or to herself but we all let her talk. "Nessie, Nessie, where are you? Where are you hiding? With someone we know? Unless, are you with them? But you couldn't. You would never….Ness-" In the middle of her sentence, Alice's face went blank. We all shot a look in her direction and awaited the explanation of her vision. After a few moments the life entered her eyes again and she gently shook her head as if she was shaking water out of her ears.

"What Alice? What did you see?" I pleaded.

"Weird…" Alice said with a large expulsion of air. We were all taken aback by this answer. It was not the most articulate response.

"What's…_weird_, Alice? Jasper asked tenderly.

"They're all gone…" Alice said just as quietly and she placed a hand on Jasper's cheek and captured his eyes with hers. If my heart still beat in my chest I think it would have exploded at that moment.

"WHO?" I shouted with a ferocious intent. Suddenly, Edward came to my side and embraced me. Of course, he had seen what Alice saw.


	29. But I'm Not the Only One

A/N: Go to my profile to get a link to the musical piece mentioned in this chapter. Listen to it while you read. It's very pretty.

**Chapter XII: But I'm Not the Only One  
**

"Wait…stop…" I panted. Every vampire in the room was still staring me down. I didn't know how they were going to split my death among them. I was pretty small. There wouldn't be much to go around. Not that it would matter soon enough. There was something even more terrible on its way. "Listen to me…that scent…do you smell it? It's the Gypsies. We have to get out of here…"

"More lies!" Chelsea screeched at me. The rest of the vampires hissed in agreement.

I didn't understand how they could ignore the scent. It was already beginning to constrict my lungs and erase my sense of direction. The smell began to mix with something else and the Volturi abruptly paused to take notice. It was a tempting and familiar scent…blood, human blood, but it smelled sour and wrong, like bad milk. Then I realized what I was breathing in. It was the toxin – the Gypsy blood toxin that had slowly killed Ántonia. We had all been infected. Having been distracted from me for a few moments the Volturi began to look confused as they realized their senses were betraying them. I saw Chelsea flare her nostril several times and Renata held her hand against her chest. I felt the compulsion to grip my chest as well. The scent was even more potent in this small space. I easily began to feel dizzy and I wondered if Aro and the others were experiencing the same thing. They must have or they would have killed me by now. It was because of the loss of our senses we did not hear them coming.

Half a second later several stocky and dark-haired men burst through an unopened door and began releasing red colored arrows everywhere. The room went into complete chaos after that. A few of the Volturi had actually been hit by the arrows and everyone was feeling the effects of the toxin. Some of the Volturi were actually moving slower then a vampire should move which was jarring, but just what the Gypsies would have wanted. I noticed my eyesight was beginning to become hazy; however, I became grateful for this when I saw a few of the Gypsies being ripped apart. I didn't need to see the exact details of that. A mixture of growling and screaming echoed against the walls of the room. I was having trouble breathing. I was also amazed I hadn't been killed yet. I was pushed up against the wall near the door so I was actually the last thing anyone noticed.

I couldn't stop this…so I did what Jacob, Sasha, and my parents would have wanted. I ran.

Of course, I didn't know exactly where I should be running, but I figured the closest door would be my best bet. Luckily for me I had picked the right one. After a short stone hallway I was in the lobby again. Allison was hiding under the mahogany desk looking petrified. It was a little ironic she would be so scared of the humans. I only made it another few feet when my legs collapsed under me. My eyesight was fading, breathing was nearly impossible, even my heartbeat felt irregular in my chest. I thought back to what I had promised my mother. _No crazy suicide missions to Italy_. Damn it. Allison had gathered herself enough that she was by my side.

"What is going on?" she asked quickly.

"Gypsies…poison…blood…" I muttered. My head told me that wasn't a sentence but my mouth and my brain weren't working together at the moment. Half aware of what was happening I felt myself being lifted up and I was on my feet again although all my weight was being leaned to one side. Allison was pulling me toward the elevator. That was nice of her. It didn't matter though. I heard screaming right up until the elevator doors closed. It was replaced with Beethoven's _Andante_ _from __Wind Quintet in E-flat major_ which was playing over the elevator speakers.

So this was how I was going to die. I was glad for my accelerated life. I had everything one could hope for. I had wonderful parents and aunts and uncles and amazing grandparents who all loved me more than they loved themselves. I had absorbed every ounce of knowledge I possible could. I had seen some of the world's greatest and most spectacular creations. I had even fallen in love, twice, the second time with a permanence I could no longer ignore. It was enough. It was more than a lot of people get. I couldn't do what Ántonia had envisioned. I had tried. I really did. Perhaps if I had more time with her or with Sasha – more time to prepare. Maybe it would have been different. My only regret was leaving Jacob. I wished I had told him what I was feeling as I kissed him goodbye, but part of me knew he knew. Everyone had known things about me before I did, why should this be any different? He would probably hate me for leaving him. I decided that was fine, hate was better than sorrow. Sorrow leads you to jump off cliffs, hate at least keeps you alive.

I was so tired. I couldn't keep my eyes open. I felt…cold. I had never felt cold before, even when I embraced my vampire family. Cold is more peaceful than I would have imagined. The numbness is almost comforting. I surrendered to it…it enveloped me quickly…and then it was over.


	30. We All Want to Change the World

**Chapter XIII: We All Want to Change the World  
**

The lights were dim. The air smelled of disinfectant and re-circulated air conditioning. My throat and lungs felt achy and congested and every one of my muscles throbbed…and my left hand felt very hot. I blinked several times as my eyes adjusted to a few incandescent lamps lit beside me and the fluorescent light coming from the hallway. I peered over at my left hand since I found its increase in temperature compared to rest of my body unusual. Jacob was sitting in an uncomfortable looking chair with his forehead lying on the edge of the bed I was apparently lying in. His extra-warm hand was holding mine.

"Jacob…" I whispered hoarsely. I immediately coughed to clear my throat as well. Jake quickly popped his head up and grasped my hand with both of his a little tighter. A huge and relieved smile covered his face.

"Hey there," he said gently, although the look on his face made me think he was constraining himself.

"You're okay," I whispered again. I didn't think it was possible but his smile managed to increase. I tried to match it but it took more physical effort then it should have. He would have to settle for a pained grin. Unfortunately, it didn't remotely express the wave of joy in my heart. I was incredibly relieved to see him alive and safe.

"Yeah, _I'm_ fine." He laughed softly. My eyesight had finally come clear and I slowly realized I wasn't dead, I wasn't in Volturra, and I wasn't in the boarding house.

"Where the hell am I?" I coughed through my question. Jacob laughed out loud and squeezed my hand in response.

"You're in the hospital."

"That's not possible." I looked around again and I began to recognize all the usual accoutrements one would expect to find in a hospital. There were gray walls, light blue sheets, beeping machinery, and I was wearing a thin and unflattering gown. I'd never been in a hospital in my life other than visiting Carlisle once or twice. Besides the fact that I'd never been sick or hurt, no human doctor would know what to make of me and my constant fever.

"You will never believe it, but your stupid beating heart is what saved your life."

"What are you talking about?"

"The Gypsy blood is toxic to vampires, right?"

"Yes…"

"Well, you're half-vampire." My shoulders drooped at his pointing out of the obvious. Thankfully he continued, "This is how Carlisle explained it to me. You're human so you have an immune system which was able to fight off the toxin that was killing your vampire half. Vampires don't have immune systems because, well, their bodies don't change and immunities fade and strengthen constantly. And because your vampire half was weakened it made you appear entirely human. The receptionist woman for the Volturi, Allison, got you some medical attention without giving away your secret. They just think you had some kind of severe allergic reaction given you weren't breathing properly and essentially that's exactly what was happening. But we probably can't stay too long. Once you've got your strength back the nurses won't be able to get an IV in anymore." I looked down at my right arm and sure enough there was a needle poked into the top of my hand. Normally, it would have been impossible for the tiny needle to penetrate my skin. "It took forever for Rye to find you. He never even thought to check the hospitals. We just have to wait a little while until the toxin is out of your system."

"What happened? To the Volturi, to everyone?" I gasped. Things were finally coming into focus again. I could hardly believe I had escaped as I recalled Gypsies being torn apart as if they were made of clay and vampires struggling in pain and uncertainty as their abilities betrayed them. However, I hoped it might have been possible someone else made it out alive. My hope was scattered when Jacob lowered his head and his smile faded. He spoke more softly, although he probably should have been speaking just as softly before considering all the secrets he was just revealing.

"They're gone."

"Everyone?" I croaked.

"Just you and Allison survived. They Gypsies were outnumbered and they weren't well prepared. I think they were acting on impulse. When I left their little town I'm afraid they were in some disarray. It wasn't all of them; just the extremists who were very close to Nicolae. And then the Volturi didn't exactly stand a chance against the toxin not to mention all the Gypsies they bit."

"Oh god, that's awful. It wasn't supposed to happen like that," I said honestly. Even though I'd never had a complete plan of how I was going to dethrone the Volturi, death was never part of anything I'd come up with. Well, I may have had it in my mind _I_ was probably going to die given I went to see them alone and all, but it was necessary if I wanted to protect my friends and my family. If we had approached them as a coven they would have only seen it as an attack and they would have killed us without a second thought. By going alone I hoped I would force them to listen when it was obvious I could never have destroyed them even if I wanted to. I hadn't anticipated the Gypsies. As much as I had done to try and prevent more violence I couldn't help feeling guilty over everyone who had been sacrificed. I was supposed to create a world of peace. This was just more killing on top of killing. What peace could possibly come from this?

"It wasn't?" Jacob asked with some confusion. I couldn't believe his insensitive response. I started to speak with a little more force even though my throat was…what was the word humans used to describe it? Sore? That was it, a sore throat.

"No! No one was supposed to die."

"How do you know?"

"Because…I just…" I stammered.

"We were all kind-of wondering Ness, what your plan was in coming down here all by yourself. Did Ántonia tell you something she didn't tell us?"

"No she didn't…I just knew…I was supposed to be here…" Jacob raised his eyebrows at my lack of rational thought. "I can't explain." There was more to it than just my desire to keep him and all the boarders safe. Ántonia was the most self-confident person I knew and she never said anything on accident. Every word she spoke or action she took had a purpose. She would have never said "you and you alone" unless she was absolutely certain of it. Of course, I didn't know any specifics regarding what she had seen in her inconsistent visions of the future. She'd never make it easy for me. Then again, perhaps she couldn't give me details even if she wanted to. She may have known the future and seen vampires would live peacefully; however, if she didn't know when it would happen she would risk altering the future. Trusting in me was basically a gamble and she couldn't give me more information without risking the future she saw. When I left, I had decided to trust her explicitly. If she said it, it must be true. Although, I wasn't sure if this particular future was what she saw or if it was some twisted alternate tangent of the universe. There was more death than there had ever been.

"I think fate was on our side, Ness. It's obvious all of this was _supposed_ to happen. If I hadn't gone to see the Gypsies the entire population would still be under Nicolae's influence and a lot more people could have died, a lot more vampires as well. The majority of the Gypsies don't want to use the airborne toxin anymore. They didn't really want to develop it in the first place." I remained quiet as I didn't know how to respond. Could this situation actually have a silver lining? It lifted my heart to know Ántonia had not died in vain. "And if you hadn't come here there would have been a vacuum of power. No one would have known who should be the ruling body. The power struggle over it would have gone on for who knows how long."

"Vacuum of power? What are you talking about?"

"You don't know?"

"Don't know what?" I implored. For the life of me I didn't know what he was getting at. Jacob raised his arms and did a bowing motion as he said,

"All hail, the Queen of vampires."

"Shut it," I responded immediately. He was joking, right? Now was not the time for joking.

"That's not very diplomatic of you," he chided.

"I am not the flipping Queen of vampires!" I tried to yell. It came out more as an irritated and high-pitched whine.

"If you didn't want to be Queen then why did you run out here all alone?"

"I don't know, okay? Somehow they knew….Ántonia and Sasha…they just…I was just trying to help! I didn't want to become anything!" I only wanted to help raise the vessel of good against corruption and evil. I didn't want to be the whole damn vessel!

"Well it's too late for that now," he teased – that is, I hoped he was teasing.

"Who exactly is calling me the 'Queen'?"

"Everyone," he replied with infuriating vagueness. "Once word got out the Volturi was gone everyone came out of hiding. There are vampires from every part of the world out there right now. And they kind-of agreed you deserve the power since, you know, you defeated them and all." _I did what now?_

"I did nothing! It's all a bunch of coincidences!"

"Do you think you'll wear a tiara?"

"Jacob…" I groaned, my throat aching more than I'd ever experienced.

"You're right. Go with a crown. You might as well go all out."

I growled. Jacob dropped his smile a little, but it was obviously still there.

"To be honest the whole story came from Allison," he explained. "You warned her to leave when you went to see the Volturi. She kind-of assumed you were responsible for the Gypsy attack that killed them."

"And you just let everyone think that?"

"I didn't know for sure if it wasn't true."

"Of course it wasn't true, Jacob. I just thought if I exposed the truth of how corrupt they are, or were, I might have been able to change things."

"Did it work?"

"Not exactly. Their trust was definitely shaken and they started to turn on each other, then they just turned on me."

"Did they hurt you?" he asked tenderly.

"No, the Gypsies came in before anything happened." I couldn't bring myself to admit how close they came to hurting me; Jacob would never let me leave the house again. "I tried to warn them…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on," he ordered while he made a dramatic "stop" gesture with his hands. It was the first time he'd let go of my hand since I woke up and I couldn't help but notice I missed his warmth. "_You_ warned the _Volturi_ about the _Gypsies_?"

"Of course," I answered. Jacob leaned back in his chair and ran his hand over his face in disbelief. He may have been incredulous, but he had done basically the same thing only a few days ago.

"Only you would protect your enemy from another enemy. Did you warn the Gypsies too?"

"No, there wasn't exactly time. I couldn't do anything while inhaling the toxin anyway."

"You survived," he said slowly as he took my hand again. My head was had been swimming, but now it was calmer. Looking into Jacob's big eyes was a definite help as was the return of his touch. Something clicked in my head and I remembered something he mentioned before.

"Did you say you talked to Carlisle?"

"Yeah, they're flying in as we speak."

"Are they mad?"

"Mad? Why would they be mad? You're the Que-" My scornful stare managed to stop him mid-sentence. "Carlisle said they were celebrating before any of us."

"Alice?"

"Yep, she saw all the Volturi disappear. They might be mad at me however. When they called right after Alice's vision I asked them if they knew anything about what happened to you. They…uh…didn't know you were missing…and I think your mother may have had a coronary when I told her."

"Thanks, Jake," I said sarcastically. Now my mother would be the one to never let me leave the house again.

"I'll take the punishment. We should all know by now we can't control you."

"Good, I'm glad." I hadn't apologized for "running away" yet again, but Jake seemed to understand the situation and how necessary the risk I took was. He may have understood it better than I did.

Jake gently relinquished my hand and chose to stare at it instead as he ran his fingers lightly up and down my arm. The warmth of his touch was somewhat foreign to me. Normally, we were very near the same temperature but in my weakened state his touch had an added sensation which made me heart speed up. I bit my lip and hoped he didn't notice the flush in my cheeks. Something was palpably different between us. Maybe it was a result of our kiss. I wondered what his lips would feel like if her were to kiss me now. It would be…hot…literally, to say the least. I cleared my throat of some embarrassment and noticed Jake could not be thinking nearly the same thing I was. His face had become more serious, contemplative even.

"Oh, Ness…sometimes I think you don't need me at all." If only he had seen what I was just thinking about he wouldn't have said that.

"Jake, you couldn't be more wrong. I was so worried while you were gone."

"Worried? About me? You should know better," he said with his trademark cocky smile. As if I believed him.

"You really were never in danger?"

"Well, it was a little touch and go for a while, but no, not really."

"Sure, keep telling me that. I'll just unlock the truth later."

"Huh?"

"Nevermind…" I said and laid my head back into the pillow. I doubted he was ever going to leave my side again and I was suddenly overwhelmed with the realization I was fine with that. The connection between us didn't feel like playmates or friends anymore. I didn't feel like a child bequeathed upon him to take care of. I depended on him and he depended on me as well. He wasn't demanding an apology from me because he trusted me and my decisions. The intimate and mutual push and pull between us was exciting and made me feel happier than I had in months. The loneliness and despondence of the last half-year wasn't gone, but it was more of a memory now. I was finally able to let Jacob's affection for me envelope my heart. He wasn't going to leave my side and I didn't want him to.

"So, what are we going to do?" he asked me.

"I'm not sure. I haven't been sure of anything my entire life."

"There's one thing I need to ask you. It's very important."

"What is it?"Jacob lifted his gaze from my hand and looked me in the eyes. His eyes were quite beautiful too. They weren't blue and sparkly and they weren't gold and engaging, but they were warm and comforting. I would be more than happy to stare into those eyes for the rest of my life.

"Please don't make me go back to high school," he pleaded. I would have laughed harder if not for my congested lungs. I lifted my hand to touch his face and ran my thumb over his lips. The heat of them made my breath hitch. If anything good came out of this situation it would be me kissing those lips before my temperature rose to normal again.

"Oh, Jake…"

"I'm yours, Ness."

I nodded in agreement. Yes, he was mine.


	31. Epilogue

**Chapter XIV: Epilogue**

Okay, so I may have been the Queen of vampires, but I did not remain the Queen of vampires. That's just ridiculous. I'm seven years old for goodness sake. The youngest vampire in existence wasn't about to rule all the rest.

As Queen I only had three actions while in office. The first was to arrange the formation of a new council of supernatural leaders. And I use the world "supernatural" instead of "vampire" because they weren't all vampires. Peyton was given a position equivalent to a Prime Minister or a President (although we decided not to use titles) since he had a natural ability to lead, perhaps more than natural. Tani was given a position as well since her heart was so compassionate and understanding. She had another position as the caretaker of the Volturi who had had their minds wiped – they were still just as impressionable as a bunch of three-year-olds. They each fell in love with Tani and her gentle nature; plus, they needed strict supervision in case they ever rediscovered their abilities.

Cristian was also appointed as was Natalie and while I got a few surprised looks when I announced this I believed Natalie had earned the position and she was a good representative of what many vampires thought and felt. We weren't all as good-natured as Esme and Tani.

Kwame and Nia were appointed to represent merpeople, as was Marthe who represented werewolves. Amazingly, two werewolves turned up after the word about the Volturi got out. Marthe was extremely excited to talk with them. They weren't about to form a pack or anything, but it was nice for her not to be alone in the experience any longer.

Alina gladly accepted a position representing the Gypsies and as a sign of good will she assured me the toxin would be destroyed. Several of the vampires were very uncomfortable around her, possibly because this was the first they had heard of the potentially poisonous Gypsy blood. They would have to be more careful of who they bit from now on. I was glad to see this however; it meant Alina was getting the respect she very well deserved. Rye didn't want a position on the council, but he would be forever connected as long he remained a part of Alina's life – something he seemed quite sure of. I asked Alina how she could possibly believe this relationship was a good idea. She spoke with more bashfulness at this then I had ever heard her.

"I cannot explain, Nessie. Everything in my head tells me it is dangerous, but my heart will not allow me to make any other decision. I just cannot be away from him. I know I can never be a vampire for him, but I am willing to put up with the complications. Besides, I have a few years until I match his age anyway," she joked. Rye must have really rubbed off on her. I thought of telling her about Sasha and the fact that he was once a Gypsy turned vampire, but I decided for the time being she didn't need to know. For Alina to become a vampire it would mean a vampire would have to die and Alina was far too principled to allow that to happen. It would be impossibly challenging, but it was what they wanted. I couldn't criticize them for that.

My second action was to move the headquarters to Ántonia's castle. A place "built for learning and growth" she had called it once. Perhaps_ this_ was what her home was always meant for, you never knew with Ántonia.

The third action was to officially resign from my position of power and give it entirely over the new Council members. I was asked to remain as a representative for half-human/half-vampires, and I couldn't exactly refuse. It was too important the vampire world know my kind existed and understood what we were and why we deserved acceptance in the community. Jacob was also asked to be a representative for shifters and he didn't really want to accept. Jacob always had difficulty accepting responsibility. Yet he felt he did not have a choice either, as long as I was involved and as long as we were involved.

My family could not have been more proud with what we managed to accomplish, even if it was half-accidental. My uncles commended me for weeks on my bravery. At first I tried to downplay it, but eventually I just let them talk. Why spoil their fun? They were like two proud fathers. We stayed for about a month in Ántonia's castle getting things organized. Laws and petitions had to be written and committees had to be formed. My father and Carlisle were very helpful in this process what with their centuries of study. We also had to make sure everyone in the vampire world knew the regime had changed. There was some backlash of course, but most fears were settled when we informed them this government would focus on truth and understanding rather than power and gain. Everyone agreed it would be a better way to live.

I was more than happy to be at home again. It had felt like lifetime had passed since I had relaxed by the river with a good book. Jacob was beside me of course. We had settled into a comfortable routine different from any we had had previously. As happy as my parents were that we were officially a couple now they couldn't help being bothered by our PDA. So, I thought the best way to relieve them of their discomfort would be to be out of their direct supervision most of the time.

"So, what are we reading today?" Jacob asked me as he glanced over my shoulder. We would read together often and I tried to pick things Jacob would enjoy. He would usually listen for about forty minutes and then he'd convince me to hunt, or run, or play a game of catch, or lately, kiss the back of my neck until I couldn't concentrate anymore. It was simultaneously frustrating and stimulating.

"_Flowers for Algernon_."

"What is that about?"

"It's about a man who undergoes surgery to make himself intelligent, but it changes him so much he ends up alienating his friends."

"That…sounds depressing."

"It is a little." I laughed.

"Your parents tell me you've been sleeping a lot better lately." That was the other thing he would do, change the subject. Not that I minded talking with Jacob. The larger percentage of the time we spent talking we would be laughing. There was also a percentage spent bickering and arguing, but it was usually followed with more laughing.

"Yeah, not having the Volturi breathing down you neck will do that for you," I admitted. The entire Cullen household had swallowed some kind of happy pill. They were all insatiably giddy lately without any impending threats hanging over their heads for the first time…well, ever.

"Is that all?" he implored. I hadn't revealed my new ability to anyone yet. I didn't use it on anyone either. I, more than anyone, knew the importance and luxury of having a secret. I wasn't about to lie to Jacob either.

"Uh…no, I've been having really great dreams lately. They make it easier to sleep actually."

"Oh…" Jacob said half-heartedly. The only thing he knew of which had occupied my dreams was Sasha and I could see how it would disappoint him to think it was still the case. It wasn't. I scooted closer to him and placed my hand on his cheek. I released a dream I had just the previous evening. It was of precise clarity given I had no trouble remembering it. Jacob's eyes widened and his hand went to cover mine. He was obviously enjoying what he saw. I laughed again and pulled my thoughts away.

"Did you like what you saw?" I asked. Jacob's smile was infectious as I tried to remain coy.

"I think I'd rather live through that first-hand." I giggled as he half-tackled me, although it wasn't in the least bit too rough. He captured me in a kiss I would be happy to relive. I wouldn't even need my dreams soon. Jacob was exceptional at making them come true.

* * *

End of Book II

* * *

A/N: Thanks to everyone for reading, or re-reading! What you have just finished is actually an updated draft of the original.

A special thanks of course to everyone who reviewed! Please feel free to leave a comment. I appreciate all questions, comments, compliments, and criticisms!

I implore you to continue reading the entire _Damn Imprinting_ series. The future for those kids will become even more complicated.

Thanks again for reading!


	32. Sequel: Psycho

The sequel to _Revolution_, entitled _Psycho _is finished. All chapters have been posted!

Here's the summary: Nessie's friends get into a bit a legal trouble; meanwhile, Nessie and Jacob are dealing with their own conflicts as the reach the adult stages of their relationship.

The sequel to _Psycho_ has also been completed, entitled _Mess_.

Here's the summary: Nessie has been fighting for ten years to be the architect of her own life. Now, she will finally experience the consequences of those decisions.

Thanks for reading!


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